A three-building addition to the top Washington, D.C. performing arts venue, showcasing cast-in-place, architectural exteriors, earned the highest honor in American Concrete Institute 2020 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards.
Dubbed REACH, the Kennedy Center Expansion Project consists of the Welcome, Skylight, and River pavilions, situated on a 4.6-acre campus along the Potomac River. Each structure features titanium dioxide-grade white concrete surfaces and elements, including sweeping curves and crisp clean lines. The pavilions are interconnected below-grade under a green roof where visitors can meander through a labyrinth of concrete curves. Multiple board form patterns and custom “crinkle” form liners add to the texture of the architectural concrete both above and below-grade. The “crinkle” concrete imparts an acoustic effect in the performance and rehearsal rooms.
Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards honor the visions of the most creative projects in the industry, ACI officials note, while providing a platform to recognize innovation, technology, and excellence across the globe. Eligible projects are nominated by ACI Chapters or International Partners. An independent panel of industry professionals judges projects and selects winners based on architectural and engineering merit, creativity, innovative construction techniques or solutions, innovative use of materials, ingenuity, sustainability, resilience, and functionality.
REACH took first place in the Low-Rise Buildings category, with second place awarded to Amélioration des infrastructures de l’Assemblée nationale du Québec, Québec, Canada. Other projects honored, by category, are: High-Rise Buildings, first place, Hudson Commons/441 Ninth Avenue, New York; second place, W Hotel Tower, Bellevue, Wash.; Mid-Rise Buildings, first place, Science Complex–Campus MIL, Montreal; second place, 725 Ponce, Atlanta; Decorative Concrete, first place, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; second place, Ssense Montreal; Infrastructure, first place, Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program, State Route 99 Tunnel, Seattle; second place, Samuel de Champlain Bridge, Montreal; and, Repair & Restoration, first place, Conococheague Aqueduct Rehabilitation, Williamsport, Md.; and, second place, Berri-Sherbrooke Underpass Rehabilitation, Montreal.
Entries for the 2021 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards program are being accepted through April; www.ACIExcellence.org.
GI BILL DIGNIFIES ACI CERTIFICATION
The American Concrete Institute Concrete Field Testing Technician – Grade I certification program has been approved for reimbursement under the Veteran’s Administration GI Bill. The provision applies to veterans who have participated in a Grade I certification session as of January 2020. It follows the agency’s implementation of an online ACI Certification application process, prepared and submitted with State of Michigan Approving Agency assistance earlier this year and available throughout the United States.
“The Institute is eager to make veterans aware of this opportunity,” says ACI Managing Director, Certification John Nehasil. “We are pleased the Veteran’s Administration has approved reimbursement for one of the industry’s most popular credentials. With more than 15,000 ACI certifications administered this year, now is the perfect time for veterans to expand their concrete construction expertise.”
The VA’s reimbursement for ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician – Grade I certification participants is the latest program available to help veterans earn an ACI Certification. The ACI Veteran Rebate Program also assists veterans in earning valued industry credentials for various concrete construction careers. Additional ACI Certification program applications are forthcoming early in the new year.