Ingram State Technical College selects Aho Architects for Renovation and new Multi-purpose Educational Facility

Ingram State Technical College selects Aho Architects for Renovation and a new Multi-purpose Educational Facility

Aho Architects is pleased to begin a relationship with Ingram State Technical College as we provide architectural and engineering services for a new multi-purpose facility at their Draper Campus.  Aho Architects will also be designing renovations at ISTC's main campus as part of the same project.  We are adept at maneuvering through the procedures and requirements of PSCA-funded projects, and we understand the protocols for successfully working at correctional facilities.  

Conceptual model of the Multipurpose Educational Facility for the Draper Campus

Thomasville City Schools' Roofing Project Bids Under Budget

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Last week, the Thomasville City Board of Education awarded the construction contract for Aho-designed retrofit metal roofs on Thomasville High School and Thomasville Middle School.  The project also includes HVAC replacement and upgrades.  We are pleased to announce that the project came-in under budget and represents a very cost-effective solution for the school system.  Once this project is complete, almost all "flat" low-slope roofs at the High School and Middle School will have been upgraded.

The Contractor with the lowest bid was Assurance Service Group.  We look forward to working with them again, and appreciate all the contractors who expressed an interest in this project and put forth the effort to prepare a bid.

New Roofs, Shelton State Community College

Aho Architects, LLC and Dunn Building Company have put new sloped metal retrofit roofing systems on four buildings at Shelton State Community College's C. A. Fredd Campus in Tuscaloosa, AL.  The $1,243,742 project included new roofs, replacement of rooftop HVAC equipment, and related work on Buildings 200, 300, 500, and 600.

Here are some before and after images of the campus (courtesy of Dunn Building Company): 

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Aho Designing Two New Steak 'n Shake Restaurants

Aho Architects, LLC and InSite Engineering, LLC are designing two new Steak 'n Shake restaurant locations in Hoover, AL for the local franchisee.

New Steak 'n Shake Location  |  Rendering from Northwest

More information about the projects can be found in this post from the Birmingham News and its website al.com:  http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/08/two_steak_n_shakes_slated_to_o.html 

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Bids Under Budget: WSCC Business Ed. Renovation

We're proud that our estimates vs. actual project budgeting track record continues to be strong.  We received bids on 5/14/13 for this renovation of space for Wallace State Community College's Business Education program.  The bids were all within a tight range, and were 1.9% under our estimate.  Our historical cost estimating track record is approx. 2% under budget, so these results are very close to that.

Accurate cost estimating throughout the phases of project development is a very important service Aho Architects provides our clients.  We have projects bidding all the time, and use the feedback from those results ​to fine-tune our estimating process.  The results of this process speak for themselves, and we're very pleased to be able to help our clients budget accurately and plan effectively for their capital projects.

Not Afraid of Heights (WSCC Bevill Center)

​It's a good thing we're not afraid of heights...

One of our current projects is replacing windows and exterior elements on the Bevill Center which was damaged in the 4/27/2011 tornado which struck Wallace State Community College in Hanceville.  Part of our work involves investigating the existing conditions and observing the repair work.  That becomes a challenge when the work is 7-8 stories up.

Our work on WSCC's Bevill Center is one of five packages of storm damage repair work on various structures across the campus.​

​Aerial View of the Bevill Center  |  The purple line in the bottom right corner of the image is the storm track of the EF-2 tornado which struck the campus on the morning of April 27, 2011.

GSCC Bids Retrofit Roof of Electronics Buidling

We received (under budget) bids this morning to construct a sloped metal retrofit roofing system  on the former Automotive Building at Gadsden State Community College's Ayers Campus in Anniston.  The College has retrofit a number of older flat-roofed buildings on the campus, and this project will continue that investment.

​Rendering of retrofit metal roof and new entrance canopy to be constructed in this project.

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​Under Budget...

We are pleased that bids were received from 6 of 7 pre-qualified general contractors, and that the low bid was substantially (22%) under budget.  Aho Architects is also pleased that the average of all bids received is also under budget (by 2.8%).  This is consistent with our historical cost estimating performance which is around 2% under budget.

Related work...

Aho Architects is also honored to be GSCC's architect for a complete interior renovation of the same building, under a separate project with construction starting next week.  This renovation will convert the structure into a new home for GSCC's electronics programs on the campus.  Aho Architects also designed renovations for electronics (robotics, electronics, process logic controls, etc.) on GSCC's East Broad Street Campus.  That project is featured here on our website.

​View of the existing building before renovation

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A Word of Thanks...

Aho Architects and Gadsden State would like to thank the following General Contractors (listed alphabetically) for the time, effort, and investment they made in submitting bids for this project:​

• Alabama Roofing & Sheet Metal Co., Inc.
• Assurance Service Group, Inc.
• Boatner Construction Co., Inc.
• Dunn Building Company
• Hale Building Company
• Kent Consolidated Construction, Inc.

CACC Biology Lab Project Bids are in Budget

Yesterday, we received bids for the Biology Lab Renovation Project for Central Alabama Community College, Alexander City campus.  This project is the first construction project bid under a multi-year Open-End agreement for projects <$250,000 which CACC awarded Aho Architects a few months ago. 

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​New Biology Laboratory and Lecture Space  |  CACC, Alexander City, AL

The biology lab renovation project converts existing general classroom space into a state-of-the-art lecture/classroom/laboratory facility for the college's biology classes.​​

A total of 6 bids were received from pre-qualified general contractors, and the results were within budget and within 1% of our cost estimate, a testament to our team's estimating abilities.​

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A Word of Thanks...

Aho Architects and CACC would like to thank the following General Contractors (listed alphabetically) for the time, effort, and investment they made in submitting bids for this project:​

• Assurance Service Group, Inc.
• Battle-Miller Construction Corp.
• Bullard-Cook, Inc.
• Henderson & Coker, Inc.
• J.A. Lett Construction Co., Inc.
• M.J. Brooks & Son Construction, Inc.

Shelton State Renovation of Bldg. 200 Nears Completion

Our interior renovation of Building 200 ​on the C.A. Fredd Campus of Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa is nearing completion.  The project should be ready for final inspection in the coming weeks.

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Construction Progress at LIFE Tech Transition Center

Retrofit metal roofing systems are being added to three buildings at the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles LIFE Tech Transition Center in Thomasville, AL.  Two of the buildings are well underway as shown in these before and "in-progress" photos taken last Friday.

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Work in Progress 2/15/13:

Administration Building (in-progress)

Views from before construction started:

Administration Bldg. (before)

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Maintenance Building (in-progress)

Maintenance Bldg. (before)