Austin AECOM served as the Construction Manager for a new 40-acre college campus in Chicago, Illinois. Construction of the $252 million campus was overseen by the Public Building Commission of Chicago on behalf of City Colleges of Chicago.
This 500,000-sq-ft facility consists of six new buildings that create a campus in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. The campus includes an Academic Building, Library Building, Applied Sciences Building, Athletic and Student Services Building, Culinary Building and Theater Building. Amenities that can be used by the community include a day-care center, sports facilities and a restaurant. The project not only expands educational opportunities in the community, but also serves as an economic stimulant to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood.
"The new Kennedy-King College is a community anchor amid the ongoing redevelopment of the Englewood area," said Judy Jackson, Deputy Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
This project, which has been held up for years because of financing and unsuitable bids, finally became a reality due to creditable bids and contract repackaging by Austin AECOM who guaranteed the construction cost and completion date.
The construction management assignment extended well beyond bricks and mortar. Community involvement was a key component of the CM’s duties where maximizing both community hiring and minority contracting opportunities were principle objectives. In order to achieve these goals, Austin AECOM first assembled a management team that reflected the diversity of Chicago and then pursued an aggressive program to inform and interest as many minority contractors as possible. In addition, construction updates were shared with the community on an ongoing basis, using a number of different methods such as community meetings, newsletters and flyers.
The New Kennedy-King College was the recipient of Midwest Construction's Project of the Year Award for the Best Project in Higher Education/Research of 2007. |
