Fri, March 05, 2010 10:42 am EST

Stellar Wins Prestigious Construction Award

Builder honored with Associated General Contractors of Greater Florida Horizon Award for innovative, rapid church reconstruction.

CONTACT: Allison Korman Shelton at 904-899-9818 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (March 5, 2010) -Stellar, a construction, design, engineering and mechanical services firm, was awarded an Associated General Contractors of Greater Florida 2010 Horizon Award. During an award ceremony on February 27, Stellar was honored for its commitment and ingenuity in the reconstruction of the Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Fla. Through the combined efforts of Stellar and Rink Design Partnership, the church was able to reopen on the two-year anniversary of the fire that destroyed its sanctuary. To ensure a two-year-anniversary unveiling, Stellar was restricted to a one-year window for completion, with construction starting on Oct. 6, 2008, and ending Oct. 30, 2009.

The esteemed award honors general contractors, subcontractors and supplier firms for their exceptional work on a 2009 project. Stellar won first place in the general contractor category for new building construction valued between $2 million to $6 million. The company also was nominated for the association's project of the year award. Horizon Award winners must demonstrate the project met strict criteria, including meeting the challenge of a difficult job, excellence in project management, state-of-the-art advances, sensitivity to environment and surroundings, excellence in client services, contribution to the community and safety excellence.

"Hendricks Avenue Baptist stands as a reflection of the commitment, innovation and efficiency Stellar brings to all of its work, which is especially apparent given the short timeline and the structural intricacy of this project," said Richard M. Lovelace, divisional vice president of Stellar's Commercial Division. "We consider this award a celebration of a project that had a successful outcome on both a construction and community level."

Hendricks Avenue Baptist Reconstruction

Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church selected Stellar, through a competitive selection process, to construct a 15,000-square-foot sanctuary and retrofit an existing classroom wing into a choir suite and library. Stellar provided preconstruction and construction management services. Stellar managed construction services on an open campus -- accommodating administrative activities, semi-weekly services, funerals, weddings and other events on the property. Through preconstruction planning, Stellar ensured all construction phases met or exceeded deadlines, with minimal disruption to the day-to-day operations of the church.

In addition to building the sanctuary, Stellar's efforts included renovation of a classroom wing, and construction of a covered breezeway between the new sanctuary and the administrative building. The project also involved construction or placement of numerous, intricate components, including a 63-foot tall, 8,360-pound, open steeple with windows placed 113 feet above the floor; split-face masonry walls; polished stone interior floors and columns; acid-stained, polished concrete flooring; exposed, stained Douglas-fir arched timbers; and tongue and groove wood ceilings. Interior spaces include a sound room, sound lock, baptistery, organ, welcome center (narthex), bride and groom rooms, restrooms, communion space and additional support areas.

Stellar also documented U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits, which were identified by the architect, Rink Design Partnership. LEED credits identified included use of low volatile organic compound (VOC) emission paint, use of certified wood and direction of debris to recycling rather than to landfills.