Awarded first-place honors in the large higher education category, Gilbane’s Leo D. Mahoney Arena at Fairfield University project also received recognition as the overall CBC Project of the Year. Located in the heart of the Fairfield University campus, the new arena is home to the university’s basketball and volleyball teams, as well as concerts, commencements, and other large events. The project team worked through challenges including complicated site enabling, demolition adjacent to an indoor pool, early buy-out packages, and rolled steel installation and shoring — all on a bustling campus.
The Gilbane team also celebrated a first-place win in the large K-12 education category for work completed at John F. Kennedy Middle School. The renovation of the 179,000-square-foot existing school included 36 classrooms, 12 science spaces, 10 special education classrooms, and gymnasium, as well as an 18,610-square-foot new addition including an auditorium and public access lobby, a new cafeteria, kitchen, and administrative offices. The Gilbane, JCJ Architecture, and the Town of Enfield team worked cohesively to deliver the project $2 million under budget.
Additionally, Gilbane donated to the Connecticut Building Congress Scholarship Fund, offering scholarships to graduating Connecticut high school students entering college-level programs in architecture, construction-related engineering, construction management, surveying, planning, or other courses of study leading to degrees in the construction field.
