BOSTON — Eddie Stewart, President of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) presented Paul Giella, Walsh Brothers’ Senior Project Manager, with a 2019 JLT Build America Award during the 100th anniversary of AGC’s convention held in Denver, Colorado.
Walsh Brothers’ work on Partners HealthCare / Brigham and Women’s Hospital Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Expansion and Renovation was selected as a winner in the Construction Management Renovation Category.
In the words of AGC’s Past President J. Doug Pruitt, “The Build America Awards honor AGC members who build the nation’s most impressive construction projects ranging across the building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure, and federal and heavy divisions. These projects, with their vision, scope and grandeur, literally dare to challenge and dare to change the industry.” Build America Award winners excel in the areas of project management, innovation in construction techniques and materials, client service, environmental sensitivity and partnering excellence.
The expansion and renovation of Brigham and Women’s Hospital NICU was a single-story vertical addition to the side of the 6th floor of the Connors Center for Women’s Health building, a twelve-story structural steel and concrete high-rise building constructed in 1992. The new space was constructed directly above a fully-functioning labor, delivery, and recovery unit located on the 5th floor, separated only by the existing roof deck, and adjacent to a fully-functioning and operational NICU. Due to the major construction activities in and around the existing hospital operations, intense construction planning and procedures were developed to minimize disruption to critical health care services. This included site-specific safety protocols, unique construction techniques for steel erection, hoisting and rigging over an occupied building, infection control and interim life safety measures, and acoustics and vibration monitoring and reduction. A new air handling unit, exterior facade, and an extensive green roof system was also provided. The Walsh Brothers’ team was particularly applauded for their:
- Ability to meet the challenges of a difficult job
- Excellence in project management
- Use of innovative construction practices
- Sensitivity to the environment and surroundings, and
- Improvements in safety and quality.
This is the fifth national Build America Award received by Walsh Brothers.
AGC is the leading association for the construction industry. AGC represents more than 26,000 firms, including over 6,500 of America’s leading general contractors and over 9,000 specialty-contracting firms. More than 10,500 service providers and suppliers are also associated with AGC, all through a nationwide network of chapters.
