Suffolk’s David BuShea, Jr. says one of the biggest challenges in the Virginia Key project will be building a simulator for wind, waves and storm surges.

FLORIDA, April 15, 2011 - Suffolk Construction, which is building the garage for the new Florida Marlins ballpark, was the winning bidder for an 81,000-square-foot expansion at the University of Miami’s marine center on Virginia Key.

Construction on the Marine Technology and Life Science Seawater Research Building is set to start at the end of the summer, with an anticipated completion date of spring 2013.

UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science is one of the leading academic oceanographic and atmospheric research institutions in the world. Its new facility will be home to the state-of-the-art Surge-Structure-Atmosphere Interaction (SUSTAIN) research facility. SUSTAIN is a wind-wave-storm-surge simulator capable of withstanding hurricane force winds, sea spray and heat.

Designed by Cambridge 7 Associates Architects, the research facility is designed for direct observations of a realistic, but scaled and controlled, environment for the simulation of weather events, including forcing and mixing, and rapid hurricane intensification.

All of these extreme weather conditions will require highly-specialized construction methods and materials, such as durable cold-rolled steel, acrylic panels, heavy duty structural steel and concrete, said David BuShea, Jr., senior project manager at Suffolk Construction.

BuShea, who has been involved with similar complex projects, including the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, adds that some of the most complex aspects of the project are tied to adjusting the size and pressure of the SUSTAIN tank.

“The biggest challenge is the tank,” he said. “It’s not every day that one of these is designed and built. It’s a learning process.”

Known more for its aquariums, Cambridge 7 has designed projects for clients in the U.S. and abroad. The company has designed the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the New England Aquarium in Boston.

Peter Sollogub, design principal at Cambridge 7, said the tank for the UM facility is a very special project. He said the goal is to be able to recreate a Category 4 hurricane inside the facility.

“This tank is not an exhibit tank,” he said. “It’s a really a scientific instrument.”

When completed, the tank will be about seven feet high and 20 feet wide, suspended about eight feet into the air. The reason it is suspended, Sollogub said, is because researchers plan to generate data using lasers that they will shoot into and around the tank.

Suffolk has worked on many local projects, including the construction of the JW Marriott Marquis Miami and Hotel Beaux Arts, part of Metropolitan Miami’s Wells Fargo Center, and the new Miami-Dade County Children’s Courthouse in downtown Miami.

Suffolk has a deadline of Dec. 31, 2011, for the Marlins garage. The company is delivering the northwest portion of the garage facilities in early July, with the second north garage in September.

Suffolk won the bid for the garage portion of the project twice. Concerns over the cost of the garage portion of the project prompted the city to ask it to resubmit the bid, with Suffolk still coming in at a lower price and winning it outright. As a result, the city saved millions of dollars on construction.

Rex Kirby, president and GM of Suffolk Southeast, said he understood the city’s concerns.

“The market had changed dramatically,” he said of the company’s philosophy on the rebid. “We decided we are going to put a price on the thing, go in and tell them that we will commit to it. That’s what we did, and that helped us keep the job.”

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Leading construction management firm will manage construction of
250,000 SF, state‐of‐the‐art science museum designed for sustainability

WEST PALM BEACH, FL., March 8, 2010—Suffolk Construction Company, Inc., partnering with Webcor Builders of San Francisco, has been awarded the contract to manage construction of the new 250,000 square‐foot Miami Science Museum in Museum Park, Miami, Florida. The key components of the new Miami Science Museum will include a 35,000 square‐foot aquarium, a planetarium, and approximately 55,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor science exhibits. The new green Museum was designed as a highly sustainable, LEED‐certified building that will reduce costs and serve as a showcase for the most state‐of‐the‐art energy management and control technology in the country. The Selection Panel consisted of the Construction Committee of the Miami Science Museum and representatives of the City of Miami and Miami‐Dade County.

“We are excited that the Miami Science Museum chose us to manage this very important project that will highlight the benefits of sustainable design and construction practices,” said Rex Kirby, President and General Manager, Suffolk Construction Southeast Region. “At Suffolk, we recognize that sustainable facilities can have a positive effect on our natural environment, economy, and the health and productivity of building occupants and their surrounding neighborhoods. We look forward to demonstrating our passion for managing sustainable projects, technical knowledge and innovative
project management approach on this high‐profile project for the region.”

The Miami Science Museum will be constructed concurrently with the Miami Art Museum on adjacent sites, presenting logistical and coordination challenges for all the project teams involved. The Museum site is also located in close proximity to the Metro Mover trolley system, which will require the planning and execution of a comprehensive safety plan.

“With Suffolk and Webcor on board, we are well prepared. Suffolk is a national company with a very strong local track record. Webcor brings invaluable skills to this particular project, from their recent experience in completing the award‐winning California Academy of Sciences, one of very few institutions that, like our project, has both an aquarium and a planetarium,” said Gillian Thomas, President and CEO, Miami Science Museum. “We are confident that with their combined experience and the support of the City of Miami and Miami‐Dade County, we’re on track to create a unique new museum; a one‐of‐a‐kind facility which will serve as a leading example of sustainable building. We’re proud that Miami Science Museum will not only serve as a world‐class Museum for visitors but also that the facility itself will serve to educate people about energy management, design, science and technology.”

The Miami Science Museum project is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2010 and will be completed in early 2014. Suffolk continues to strengthen its relationship with Miami‐Dade County and expand its presence in this region—in addition to the Miami Science Museum win, Suffolk is also close to completing the $66.7 million Miami Beach Senior High School and the $88 million North Miami Senior High School.

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Fifth-Annual Event supports Home Safe and ABC Cares Foundation