Supreme Court Building Honored Nationally
The Ohio Judicial Center, recently restored in a manner true to its original 1930s Art Deco design, has been awarded one of the top honors from the nation's oldest and largest construction trade association.
The Associated General Contractors of America named Messer Construction Co. as the winner of the Aon Build America Award in the Construction Management/Renovation category for Messer's management of the building's 10-year historic renovation. Tim Gusler, Jim Hess and Chris Malinowski accepted the award on behalf of Messer, at the national convention of the Associated General Contractors of America held March 17, 2005 in Las Vegas.
“Though Messer is being recognized for this award, the Supreme Court of Ohio, the architects Schooley Caldwell Associates, the Ohio Building Authority and several groups of sub-contractors all played a critical role in making the restoration a success,” said Gusler, senior project executive at Messer. “This project was truly a team effort.”
The restoration of the 415,000-square-foot Ohio Judicial Center includes energy-efficient mechanical and life safety systems installed in highly decorated public spaces and office floors with low floor-to-floor heights; a slightly increased aesthetic profile appropriate to the state's highest court; the addition of necessary court security measures; aggressive design of accessibility features; and removal of the dark floors of a closed-stack library and replacement with an open, natural-light legal research library.
Eighty-one projects were nominated, and judges selected 17 to receive Build America Awards and seven to receive Merit Awards. Projects were judged on:
- Meeting the challenge of a difficult job
- Excellence in project management
- Contractor's innovation in construction techniques or materials
- Contractor's state-of-the-art advancement
- Contractor's sensitivity to environment and surroundings
- Excellence in client service
- Contractor's Contribution to the Community
Other honors received by architects, artisans, builders and contractors on behalf of the Ohio Judicial Center include Heritage Ohio's 2004 Annual Award for Best Rehabilitation Project, the Associated General Contractors of Ohio's Build Ohio 2004 Award for Construction Management, the Associated General Contractors of Ohio's Build Ohio 2004 Award for Specialty Contractors, the Columbus Chapter of the American Institute of Architects' Honor Award 2004, the Columbus Foundation's 2004 James B. Recchie Design Award and the Ohio Chapter of the American Institute of Architect's 2004 Special Team Merit Award for Renovation.
The Courtroom has also been featured on the cover of Windows, a bimonthly publication of Heritage Ohio & Downtown Ohio, Inc. The law library was featured on the cover of Traditional Building magazine, a national trade magazine for architects involved in public architecture. And the Ohio Judicial Center was named “Best House for a High Court” by Ohio Magazine.
