News

Griffith Company Wins Environmental Category Award at AGC’s 2012 Alliant Build America Awards

At the Annual Convention in Hawaii this past March, AGC announced the winners of the 2012 Alliant Build America Awards, including a winner within the Environmental construction category. The Alliant Build America Awards recognize the nation’s most significant construction projects.  A panel of judges, representing all areas of construction, evaluated a record number of submissions this year, assessing each project’s complexity, use of innovative construction techniques and coordination with partners, among other criteria.  The awards are considered by many to be the most prestigious recognition of construction accomplishments in the U.S. The winner of the Environmental Enhancement award – the Los Angeles area’s Harry Bridges Boulevard Buffer project – was considered to be one of the most significant construction projects of 2011.  As a result, the project’s contractor, Brea, Calif.-based Griffith Company, was one of 16 firms to receive the association’s Alliant Build America Award. The goal of the Harry Bridges Boulevard Buffer project was to shield the nearby community from Port of Los Angeles operations while providing an open space for outdoor gatherings and performances. The project required renovating a blighted industrial site and transforming it into a recreational venue infused with green technology. Griffith built a series of 16-foot-tall, 2,650-foot-long retaining walls that provide residents with views of San Pedro Bay. The rest of the site includes large lawns, pavilions, open-space plazas, and pedestrian bridges. While Griffith had to overcome many challenges, including contamination abatement and permit issues, the team worked more than 250,000 hours without incident. View the 2012 Alliant Build America Award Winners picture gallery here. Small and large projects are considered equally and judged on the same criteria. AGC urges all members to consider current project’s for next year’s competition. To qualify for the Environmental Enhancement award, your project must have included environmental enhancement, wetland mitigation, ground water clean-up or required reclaiming or remediating an environmentally contaminated site. For 2013 Alliant Build America Awards information, including deadlines, criteria, application materials, and details regarding the electronic submission process, go to www.agc.org/awards.