Self Reliance Federal Credit Union
This project was focused on the construction of a 3,000-square foot structure in the historic Fells Point area in Baltimore City. The first step in the construction was to carefully raze an existing townhouse that sat on this corner site. An extremely small construction area made this a challenging task, and the adjoining building was braced to avoid any negative effects from the demolition.
After demolition was completed, construction began on the ornate structure. Three stories were constructed, and great detail was needed to create Ukranian designs by using different color bricks. These elaborate designs are evident throughout the building, as the entrance is adorned with pre-cast pediment to accentuate the exterior detailing.
Upon entering the structure, one is drawn by the breathtaking marble floor with inlaid patterns and a seven-pointed star. The marble floor leads to an oak reception desk with metal trim applied at foot level. A fireplace provides an eye-pleasing focal point as well as auxiliary heat to the lobby area.
Various offices are located through the hall, past the lobby. On the second floor, there is a full service apartment with a kitchen and a balcony. The second floor also contains the credit union’s conference room. The conference room features valances adorning a cathedral ceiling, custom oak paneling, and bookcases.
Riva Road Business Center
CAM was contracted by a bonding company, Reliance Insurance, to complete various contracts. One of the largest of these contracts was the Riva Road Business Center. This project was the completion of a 52,500-square foot, Class-A office building in Annapolis, Maryland.
MTA Police & Automotive Maintenance Facility
CAM was selected in a Design/Build proposal with a guaranteed max price to develop and construct the 46,000-square foot Administrative and Automotive Shops facility. The two-story administrative area houses 21,150-square feet for the Maryland Transportation Authority, including an exercise room, holding cells, and administrative support areas. The 13,300-square foot Shops facility includes a Vehicle Lube System, Vehicle Lifts, Wash Bays, and an Overhead Crane.
By modifying the limited structural design in the RFP, CAM was able to afford the owner more usable floor area as well as more headroom with the new continuous spread-footing and wall-bearing structural system. Our structural analysis revealed a lack of structural flexibility, so we deleted perimeter columns and beams to alleviate the stress and improve interior space.
Due to the fast-track nature of the contract, the redesigned footings were completed during the design phase of the project, and the steel fabrication proceeded to maintain the tight completion schedule. Numerous finish enhancements were also added to the project during design; no additional costs were added to the contract as a result of these changes.
In addition, CAM moved the entire Bay Bridge surveillance and communication system from one building to the new Police and Automotive Facility. The Control Room consisted of running new fiber optics, data lines, video communications, monitoring, and the state police “MILES” system. This transition was completed flawlessly, without any interruption of use.
Patuxent Institution – Kitchen and Perimeter Security
CAM successfully managed the renovations and new construction at this fully occupied, medium-security facility within the 40-acre security fencing. The project included construction of seven separate buildings, many of which were phased, occupied renovations, where CAM maintained excellent owner interaction to ensure uninterrupted facility use.
The seven-phase project within an occupied, operational correctional facility included importation and placement of more than 115,000 cubic yards of fill, installation of 7,000 lineal feet of 16-foot-high, double correctional facility fencing, a new sallyport, and two new 40-foot-tall brick, block, and concrete guard towers.
Renovations and construction also included new asphalt-paved parking for 700 vehicles, a 14,000-square foot visitors center and gatehouse, a 4,000 square-foot addition to an existing building, a and fully equipped, 15,000-square foot kitchen which, with its $1.5 million in detention-approved kitchen equipment, is operated in part by prisoners.
Building construction is brick, block, and concrete. This multi-phase, multiple-building project, within an occupied area, is evidentiary of CAM’s capabilities and represents one of the successful projects completed by the CAM/Bushey Feight Morin team.
Owings Mills Learning Center
The Owings Mills Learning Center is a one-of-a-kind project in Baltimore County and features excellent roadside visibility that generated a high volume of consumer usage for its two occupants following its early spring official grand opening. The six-story, 120,000-square foot building overlooking I-795 has been designed to house a new branch of the Baltimore County Public Library as well as an expanded location for the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). Positioned on the first two levels of the structure, within 40,000 square feet of space, is the 19th and largest branch of the Baltimore County Public Library; it is stocked with a collection of nearly 115,000 items and features individual study rooms, 70 computers public use, a magazine lounge, an early learning activity center, teen area, a café, and a large, quiet study area. The library is also wired for complementary Wi-Fi service and contains a community room that will be shared by CCBC.
CCBC has leased the remaining 80,000 square feet and occupies floors three through six. Upon completion of the Learning Center, CCBC relocated from its current space on Painters Mill Road, which operates as an Extension Center to the main campus in Catonsville. The new space is approximately three times larger than the current facility, features 27 separate classrooms and specialized science laboratories, and provides resources to allow CCBC to expand its existing enrollment of 5,000 students.
The post-tension concrete Owings Mills Learning Center has a complex skin of glass curtain wall, architectural pre-cast concrete, EIFS and architectural metal panel skin, faces a public plaza within Metro Centre at Owings Mills, and is connected to the existing eight-level parking garage. The project has been constructed to achieve LEED-Silver certification via its partial green roof designed to improve both air and water quality and mitigate heat loss and gain, use of low VOC materials, use of recycled materials, regionally manufactured materials fabricated within 500 miles of its location, and all wood used on the project is FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council)-certified.
Our Daily Bread Employment Center
CAM Construction was selected as the CM to complete the construction of the new 52,000-square foot, three-story structure for Our Daily Bread, located near Baltimore’s prison. The building was designed by CSD Architects as the new home of four of Catholic Charities’ important programs, and the space will assist Baltimore’s challenged residents in becoming self-reliant through employment. This brick, decorative block, and cast stone structure includes the Our Daily Bread soup kitchen, dining room, storage areas, classrooms, large and small conference rooms, phone/privacy room, dormitories, and residential apartments for up to 60 men.
Outdoor amenities include open space areas, a basketball court, and a garden, which enhances its urban setting. As a testimony to the importance of the project, the September 2005 groundbreaking ceremonies brought together the Governor, Cardinal William H. Keeler, directors and trustees for Catholic Charities, and three of the four living Mayors of the City of Baltimore.
The Our Daily Bread soup kitchen annually serves nearly 250,000 hot meals to an average of 683 guests. Opened in 1981, and now relocated to the Fallsway corridor, Our Daily Bread is able to provide food for more guests than ever before. The Christopher Place Employment Academy, which occupies the third floor of the new structure, provides an intense 18-month residential job-readiness, education, job placement, addiction recovery program, and follow-up services. Complementing the Christopher Place program is the St. Jude’s Employment Center, which affords walk-in aid to those seeking job readiness skills and employment referrals as unskilled or low-skilled workers.
The Samaritan center, also located in the new structure, is a joint emergency services program between Catholic Charities and the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which annually assists City residents with eviction prevention support, utility assistance, and traveler’s aid, as well as referrals for health providers, addition recovery, and housing services.
The Our Daily Bread Employment Center was funded by Amazing Grace: the Campaign for Catholic Charities, and it received both State as well as City funds. The construction contract required MBE participation, which is unusual for a private project, but CAM ably met the requested goal.
Construction proved challenging when an unexpected and large building foundation was found below the surface of the site. Extensive excavation of up to 20’ in depth, during one of the rainiest seasons in City history, was required to complete this project.
New Psalmist Baptist Church
CAM was selected as the Construction Manager at Risk for this important new house of worship following months of intense drawing review, owner meetings, and scope evaluation. CAM was able to reduce the project cost by more than five million dollars in order to meet the owner’s initial budget and proceed to contract.
The objective and design intent of the Holy City of Zion project, as it is named by the Church, is to provide an enduring and well-planned campus that will inspire spirited exchanges between God, visitors, members, and staff and to reinforce a sense of the campus community and pride. The campus will provide a variety of indoor as well as outdoor spaces for a wide range of academic and social activities, including productions, exhibitions, special events, and casual gatherings.
Complex electronics, sound, and broadcasting systems support the ministry of New Psalmist Baptist Church, which airs weekly on both radio and television stations throughout the Baltimore area.
Phase One of this campus wide project includes a 185,000 square foot ministry structure with accommodations for a Pre-K – Elementary School, a sanctuary that seats approximately 4,000, a 185-seat choir loft, a large narthex for gathering, a banquet hall, a commercial kitchen to support both Church banquets and off site catering ministry, two large book stores, administrative offices, multi-use classroom/meeting areas, support areas, extensive landscaping, and parking for approximately 1,500 vehicles. Future phases include a smaller sanctuary building, a family life center, and ancillary structures. CAM continues to work with the Church as they plan additional new buildings.
With the Church’s campus located in both Baltimore City and Baltimore County, construction presented some challenges not usually encountered on a single site. However, both the City and County were immensely pleased that this dynamic Church, with its thousands of congregants and more than 1,000 annual events, has elected to relocate to the Seton Business Park, close to the historic Seton Hospital structure, which is currently the home to the national headquarters for the NAACP. Completion coincided with the celebration honoring the 100th anniversary of the founding of New Psalmist Baptist Church.
Matapeake Middle School
The new 107,000 square foot middle school constructed on Kent Island on the western end of Queen Anne’s County, serves as the gateway to Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore. The school’s feature entry design is based on the nautical symbolism of a ship’s hull. The building uses a geothermal heat-pump technology as its heating and cooling system. The capacity of the new middle school is 800 students in grades 6 to 8. Initially, up to 500 middle school students are proposed in grades 6 to 8 with 300 ninth-grade students in a separate academy on the second floor.
A clear circulation system (keel of a boat) easily understood by students, parents, community and visitors is the main design feature of the project. It serves as the lobby for the main public-use spaces (physical-education suite with stage, cafeteria and music suite) and provides the link between the public spaces and the educational areas. The administration area is situated centrally at the main entrance to oversee the access of all students, parents and visitors to the school and main corridor.
Architectural features include exposed painted structural steel, complex rubber flooring at the corridors which had a critical humidity requirement that mandated heating the school even in July to reach the required percentage of humidity for proper installation, extensive glass and specialty lighting. Site work for the project was made more complex due to the proximity of this project to the adjacent occupied elementary school which shares the site.
Lakeland Elementary/Middle School
The project was a multi phased renovation to renovate an existing 40,000 sq. ft. Baltimore City School and to bring its programs, life safety and major systems up to current standards. Work included renovations to the 1965 structure, a 40,000 sq. ft. fifteen classroom and media wing addition with ancillary spaces, brick masonry restoration and an addition to the gymnasium and kitchen.
All major systems were removed and updated, as were all finishes. The new elevator was installed within the confines of the existing building, providing a challenge to complete the work in confined quarters. Once the project was fully underway, foundations for the new addition poured and shop drawings submitted BCPS elected to triple the size of the new addition.
CAM worked with the School Board on a CM basis to revise all pricing, complete programming, make proper changes to the building and to let contracts in the approved amount which would increase the size and value of the addition.
