In today’s news update at constructiondaily.news, we will look into a $2.5 billion Alabama Aluminum mill that will be located in Baldwin County and will be the first facility of its sort to be built in forty years. On Clinton Street, Watertown development projects are starting to take shape. The officials at Belmont College are “exuberant” about the plans for the new construction trades building. Nearing completion of construction on the New Maritime Center at the Coast Guard Academy. Officials from Middle Tennessee State University cut the ribbon Thursday, Oct. 13 marking the opening of the $40.1 million School of Concrete and Construction Management Building.
Novelis begins $2.5 billion Alabama aluminum plant
Original Source: Novelis kicks off construction on $2.5 billion Alabama aluminum mill
Novelis’ $2.5 billion aluminum mill in Baldwin County is the first U.S. facility of its kind in 40 years.
The 3,000-acre South Alabama Mega Site in Bay Minette is undergoing earthwork, excavation, and piling. Novelis will build two roads and expand utility infrastructure in the next three months.
The facility’s full output will employ 1,000 workers by mid-2025.
Gov. Kay Ivey, corporate, and local leaders attended the Oct. 7 groundbreaking.
Tom Boney, executive vice president and president of Novelis North America, said, “Today is a critical milestone as we scale up construction and develop our staff.” “We want to contribute to the local economy and improve citizens’ quality of life.
“We’re appreciative for the cooperation from the state, Baldwin County, Bay Minette, and other partners,” he said.
Partnering
Novelis has appointed a core leadership team to handle the Alabama facility’s multi year construction.
The corporation chose a top engineering firm for site layout, engineering, and construction, an Alabama firm for earthworks, and numerous long-standing manufacturing equipment vendors.
Novelis is hiring in engineering, maintenance, finance, HR, and IT. Visit novelis.com/careers to browse for open openings or submit a resume.
Novelis CEO Steve Fisher: “We want to show the strength of our developing customer partnerships, our dedication to sustainably grow our business, and our innovative, forward-thinking approach to contemporary manufacturing.”
‘GAME-CHANGER’
The highly modern factory will produce 600,000 tons of finished aluminum per year for the beverage container market and automotive manufacture.
It also adds a beverage can recycling center, expanding the company’s recycling capacity by 15 billion cans per year.
Novelis’ choice to locate the nation’s most technologically advanced aluminum plant in Baldwin County is a credit to Alabama’s business climate and industrial workforce, said Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield.
Canfield: “This project is a game-changer for Alabama’s manufacturing sector and a jobs generator for the region.”
AIDT, Alabama’s principal workforce development organization, helps Novelis assemble and train its employees.
Watertown development projects on Clinton Street
Original Source: Watertown construction projects take shape on Clinton Street
You’ve probably seen the crane above Clinton Street in Watertown. Watertown Savings Bank has been expanding for months.
The structure is taking shape as they lay steel. The extension should provide the bank extra space, says EVP Scott Pooler.
“We can fit everything in our existing facilities, but this is a planned approach to expand,” he said.
The addition will include a lending center and a storage facility.
Pooler says the bank’s growth reflects its community commitment.
“Excited to move in.” He said, “It’ll be amazing.”
Lundy Construction is in charge. After a summer of supply-chain troubles and design adjustments, Mike Lundy says the expansion is proceeding nicely.
We hope to get all the steel in two weeks. The two buildings should be enclosed by the end of the year and occupied by late spring, he said.
Lundy aims to renovate the nearby medical arts building by September. In the next two weeks, he’ll make a formal statement, but he tipped us off.
“We plan to keep it a professional office building.” With a bank next door and a professional hotel, it’s ideal. He said, “I don’t want to sell.”
Lundy said the upgrades will give Clinton street a “college feel.” Fall 2023 if all goes as planned.
Belmont officials ‘exuberant’ with new construction trades building
Original Source: Belmont College officials ‘exuberant’ over plans for new construction trades building
Sen. Sherrod Brown announced $5 million to Belmont College for construction trades workforce development this month.
“We were happy. Belmont College President Paul Gasparro said, “We’re optimistic.”
Building preservation/restoration, heating and air, and welding programs will soon have a new home thanks to EDA financing.
One of the college’s major grants. Small schools rarely get financial aid.
“Your money depends on the size of your school and how you spend it. A community college may focus on what it does best by applying a grant to the local community, Gasparro said.
Construction will take time, but the benefits to local organizations and kids are boundless.
“It’s seeing us in the community and how they can stay here, raise a family, and have a family-sustaining income without leaving the valley,” Gasparro said.
Gasparro and the college are optimistic about the future.
If I still partied, I’d party after this.
There is no exact schedule for the project, but it should begin in a year or two and be finished in two or three.
Nearly finished building at Coast Guard Academy
Original Source: Construction of New Maritime Center at Coast Guard Academy Nearly Complete
A $25 million construction project at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is approaching completion, the Academy reported Oct. 12.
Construction industry leaders, cadets, and alumni attended the Oct. 12 ceremony and celebration.
The 20,000-square-foot Maritime Center of Excellence (MCOE) will be the Academy’s first LEED-certified structure and feature waterfront activities.
The building’s vaulted roof, wooden decks, and true north orientation showcase the shoreline. The new building will have collaborative, high-tech classrooms.
The new architecture of the institution contains ambitious environmental goals to address climate change dangers.
The internal rooms of the future facility have been planned to maximize natural sunlight and ventilation. Natural ventilation will be provided via double-height maintenance, office, and atrium spaces.
Explore ground-source heating and cooling, solar panels, and rainwater collecting. The building exterior will have sturdy, easy-to-maintain materials.
The center’s completion is a major step in the Academy’s efforts to modernize 1930s infrastructure and train the future Coast Guard workforce.
Rear Adm. Bill Kelly, academy superintendent, said the LEED-certified multi-purpose facility will help young women and men study and grow. I’m sure it will increase appreciation for water’s power and beauty and make us like the sea and its mythology.
MTSU opens $40.1M concrete, construction building
Original Source: MTSU unveils $40.1M integrated learning concrete, construction building
Officials from MTSU cut the ribbon Thursday, Oct. 13 marks the opening of the $40.1 million School of Concrete and Construction Management Building on the west side of campus, where students are preparing for professions in a high-demand area throughout the Midstate and beyond.
The 54,000-square-foot facility will be an integrated and practical learning lab for 135 Concrete Industry Management majors and 200 Commercial Construction Management students, compared to their 9,000 square feet in the Voorhies Engineering Technology building.
The building has a 200-seat lecture hall, four materials and building labs, a dedicated MEP classroom, a covered amphitheater, and two computer labs, including a virtual design and construction lab for advanced building models and simulations and an augmented virtual reality lab for immersive experiences.
Graduates earn over $60,000 in beginning income and have an almost 100% placement rate, officials say.
‘Top programme’
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee called it “a new chapter in the success of our CIM and CCM programmes.” With today’s dedication, we reaffirm our commitment to sustaining the nation’s best programme in Concrete and Construction Management.
McPhee was “amazed by how much concrete was used in design and construction.” Students will observe how concrete adds value and innovation to a construction. The building is a living laboratory with construction processes and operating systems on display for students.
Construction is a $1 trillion business that affects how people live, work, learn, retail, and eat. Director of the School of Concrete and Construction Management Kelly Strong said 1,800 alumni are “leaders in our field.”
McPhee praised industry partners who raised $5 million in matching funds for the initiative. “They’ve been extraordinarily giving with their time and resources,” he said. He also introduced Board of Trustees members led by Steve Smith and state legislators.
Hoar Construction of Birmingham, Alabama built the home. Orcutt/Winslow architected. The project was finished in September 2021.
The new facility expands the university’s Corridor of Innovation, highlighted by the modern Science Building. In coming years, the Applied Engineering Building will be developed beside SCCM.
Legacy
Strong questioned alumni if they “could have imagined this building becoming your legacy?” We’re celebrating your accomplishment and impact on the concrete and construction industries today.
“Your devotion to our programmes is a cornerstone of our success, and you and our industry friends and collaborators made this facility possible.” Beyond the facility, we’re grateful for our students’ support from concrete, CIM, Associated General Contractors of Middle Tennessee, and Home Builders Association of Tennessee.
Strong thanked his staff and professors for the mid-semester transfer and industry partners.
Southern Concrete Machinery owner Chris Davenport (Class of 2000), of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was the first CIM graduate. Jessie Boone (’08), president of the CIM Patrons and Road Worx director of business development, told the crowd she dropped out of school but made a life-changing decision to return and join CIM.
CIM’s first director was Austin Chaney. Heather Brown led CIM for 20 years. During her time, both programmes were under the School of Concrete and Construction Management.
To me, it’s more than a building. It’s the people,” added Brown, who received a standing ovation for her arduous efforts to make the new building a reality. She mentioned a poem given by Jon Huddleston, associate professor and CIM director, to cap the occasion that emphasized establishing bridges for those who will follow you.
The poetry moved me. Always remarked, “I don’t build buildings.” I build people’ – Brown “The day climaxed for me. I felt like many essential people who had died were beaming down now. Who was here; who couldn’t come
“Buildings are great, but it’s about people. This shows how great CIM is. The student and alumni success is key. I was delighted to come today, but I was almost as excited to see the alumni I’ve known. Colleges can generate unique relationship microcosms. This is great for MTSU.
In a few years, SCCM’s neighbors will change. In that part of campus will be the Applied Engineering Building.
The dean and a pupil
Greg Van Patten, dean of MTSU’s College of Basic and Applied Sciences, said the School of Concrete and Construction Management “produces graduates in high demand across the U.S., but especially in Middle Tennessee, where there is so much expansion and development.”
Van Patten called the structure a “sophisticated instructional instrument” For the first time, we’ll have classrooms and labs specifically tailored to teach Construction Management and Concrete Industry Management.
Junior concrete major Aric Rickman of Franklin, Tennessee, viewed the facility for the first time Wednesday, a day before addressing on behalf of students. He deems it “wonderful” for its innovative equipment and detail. He thanks industry donors for funding the facility. They give back to future students physically. This building is hopeful (for future growth).
Rickman, whose family attended, has worked part-time, full-time, and interned at Hi-Way Paving. he’ll graduate in 2023
Summary of today’s construction news
Overall, we discussed Novelis’ $2.5 billion Baldwin County aluminum factory which is the first of its kind in 40 years. Novelis will develop two roads, improve utilities, and employ 1,000 people by mid-2025 at Bay Minette’s 3,000-acre South Alabama Mega Site. The expansion of Watertown Savings Bank has taken months, but now that steel is being laid, the building is starting to take shape. This month, Senator Sherrod Brown announced a $5 million gift to Belmont University to help train more people to work in the building trades. The $25 million building project at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is almost done. The MCOE is 20,000 square feet and will be the Academy’s first LEED-certified building that will offer waterfront activities. The west campus School of Concrete and Construction Management Building, which cost $40.1 million to construct, will officially open.