Blog

Continuous Improvement a Key Goal for Albion Scaccia

As Albion Scaccia grows and takes on larger and more complex projects, we want to make sure our clients continue to receive the same high level of service they expect from us, so I’ve embarked on a process to upgrade our software.

The new software we choose will ensure the accuracy of project documentation, creating a smoother project management experience for both our staff and our clients. It will also allow us to more quickly respond to client issues and concerns by better integrating all facets of a project, from new job costing and project management through accounting.

Over the last month we have reviewed several systems and are impressed with some of the newer technology that is now available.  We expect to complete our evaluations and have the final decision made in the next several weeks, so that we can be fully implemented and running by the end of this year.

This new tool, combined with our highly experienced staff, will help us continue to improve our operations so we can deliver on our promise to design innovative solutions to meet our clients’ business requirements and deliver only the highest quality of service.

I will continue to update you as we progress through this upgrade.

Brian Newsome, LEED®, AP, CHC

Executive VP

Albion Scacciais a woman-owned commercial construction company in Atlanta providing full service design, build and construction managementsolutions. In just over 13 years, our focus on client satisfaction has helped us grow into one of Georgia’s premier design build companies. We offer turnkey construction management services to ensure your project progresses smoothly, efficiently and within budget.

 

Georgia Tech Dorm Renovations Yield 0% Waste

We recently renovated 55 dormitories for Georgia Tech’s North Avenue Apartments, which are the dorms that were used by Olympic athletes in 1996.

As part of the project, which entailed updating the kitchens and bathrooms, Georgia Tech asked us to recycle at least 70% of the cabinetry, sinks, faucets, drawers, pulls, etc. Using our LEED skills, we were really proud to be able to recycle 100% of all the removed material!

All the metal was recycled, and the cabinetry and countertops were broken down to be used again. The porcelain sinks will be crushed and used to make concrete. Georgia Tech loved that we were able to recycle everything, and we did, too.

The project was also challenging because we had to gut 55 kitchens and bathrooms, put in new solid surface counters with integrated sinks, cabinetry and new appliances before the students returned to school. This project really put our project management skills to the test.

We completed the demolition, cleaned up the walls, prepped the rooms, put in millwork, coordinated with plumbers to put in the faucets and with the electricians to hook up dishwashers and disposals, and we did all this in 52 working days.

The new kitchens and bathrooms look really nice, and we think the students will appreciate the changes.

Albion Scacciais a woman-owned commercial construction company in Atlanta providing full service design, build and construction managementsolutions. In just over 13 years, our focus on client satisfaction has helped us grow into one of Georgia’s premier design build companies. We offer turnkey construction management services to ensure your project progresses smoothly, efficiently and within budget.

Brian Newsome, LEED® AP

Executive VP

 

 

 

 

 

Georgia State Projects Challenge, Excite Us

Georgia State University is one of our Higher Education clients, and we have been working on a variety of interesting projects for them this summer. Renovating and improving their facilities allows us to be part of the entire downtown revitalization effort, and we’re really proud to be involved in that.

We are about to finish a project on the new football practice facility. We put a new roof on the building, adding a glass clear story to allow in natural sunlight.

We’ve also been working on the university’s first permanent building, Kell Hall, which was originally a parking deck in the early 1900s. The building still has ramps going from floor to floor! Kell Hall houses offices and laboratories, and we’re putting in some new laboratory spaces for student classrooms.

One other project is in the Florence Kopleff Recital Hall. We’ve put scaffolding in the entire hall to place overhead conduits and raceways for a new audio/visual system. The challenge in this project is doing all this work without damaging the really nice theatre seating in the hall.

Working with Georgia State is always exciting, as we watch the campus grow and improve.

Albion Scacciais a woman-owned commercial construction company in Atlanta providing full service design, build and construction managementsolutions. In just over 13 years, our focus on client satisfaction has helped us grow into one of Georgia’s premier design build companies. We offer turnkey construction management services to ensure your project progresses smoothly, efficiently and within budget.

Brian Newsome, LEED® AP

Executive VP

 

 

 

 

Albion Scaccia Welcomes New Project Team

I’m really pleased to announce that we have added a new project team to support our growth and expansion into larger, more sophisticated projects.

We have found an exceptional Senior Project Manager and Superintendent team in DJ Schell and Jamie Peed. DJ has more than 15 years of project management responsibility and has a strong understanding of how to bring large projects to successful completion.

Jamie is equally dedicated to ensuring projects run smoothly by developing strong working relationships with our subcontractors and pitching in when necessary to ensure the project is completed on time, within budget and to our client’s satisfaction.

Both DJ and Jamie have an easygoing work style that instills confidence in the project staff and ensures calm and efficient resolutions to any problems that may arise, resulting in a harmonious work environment. They fit right in at Albion Scaccia because like the rest of us, they are dedicated to the highest levels of customer service, quality and satisfaction and are willing to go the extra mile to ensure our clients are happy.

And, as we continue to expand and take on larger, more complex projects, their specific expertise in these types of projects will be invaluable to both our company and our clients.

I think you’ll be as impressed with this outstanding team as we are.

Albion Scacciais a woman-owned commercial construction company in Atlanta providing full service design, build and construction managementsolutions. In just over 13 years, our focus on client satisfaction has helped us grow into one of Georgia’s premier design build companies. We offer turnkey construction management services to ensure your project progresses smoothly, efficiently and within budget.

Brian Newsome, LEED® AP

Executive VP

 

Albion Scaccia Cooking Up a New Restaurant

Atlanta’s St. Charles Deli on 5^th Street is moving to a new location and rebranding itself to Chuck’s Famous, which will offer popular sandwiches from across the country. The new location will move the restaurant closer to hungry students at Georgia Tech.

We’ve been working with May Architecture + Interiors since early in the project under a Design/Build model, which allows us to expedite the process by beginning some of our work concurrent with the design phase. It also allows us to identify early on any potential construction issues that might arise from the design.

We’re excited about creating a new space and being part of St. Charles Deli’s new concept and look forward to trying out some of the country’s regional sandwiches when the restaurant opens!

Albion Scaccia is a woman-owned commercial construction company in Atlanta providing full service design, build and construction management solutions. In just over 13 years, our focus on client satisfaction has helped us grow into one of Georgia’s premier design build companies. We offer turnkey construction management services to ensure your project progresses smoothly, efficiently and within budget.

Brian Newsome, LEED® AP

Executive VP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healthcare Construction Certification Demonstrates Commitment

A few weeks ago I earned the Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC) designation from the American Hospital Association (AHA). In addition to fulfilling experience and continuing education requirements, I successfully completed a rigorous written exam covering healthcare industry fundamentals; planning, design and construction process; healthcare facility safety-additions & renovations; and, financial stewardship.

While the process was not easy, the decision to become a CHC was. Just as I wouldn’t want a doctor who didn’t keep up-to-date on innovations in medicine, our clients don’t want commercial builders who aren’t on the cutting edge of construction or who don’t understand their particular building needs.

Albion Scaccia remains committed to providing the best and most knowledgeable construction services to our clients by continually expanding our education and expertise in the areas in which we work.

Albion Scaccia is a woman-owned commercial construction company in Atlanta providing full service design, build and construction management solutions. In just over 13 years, our focus on client satisfaction has helped us grow into one of Georgia’s premier design build companies. We offer turnkey construction management services to ensure your project progresses smoothly, efficiently and within budget.

Brian Newsome, LEED® AP, CHC

Executive VP

Albion Scaccia Embarks on Downtown Atlanta Parking Lot Project

We’ve just been selected to renovate the Central Avenue parking deck in downtown Atlanta. Because the deck will need to remain open during the project, all of the work will be completed at nights and on weekends.

We’ll be replacing the inside and outside steel automobile and pedestrian railing systems, correcting spalling in the concrete and installing new structural steel. We’ll also demolish all of the architectural steel that currently runs from the top of the deck to the street. Engineering firm MACTEC designed the project.

Albion Scaccia is a woman-owned commercial construction company in Atlanta providing full service design, build and construction management solutions. In just over 13 years, our focus on client satisfaction has helped us grow into one of Georgia’s premier design build companies. We offer turnkey construction management services to ensure your project progresses smoothly, efficiently and within budget.

Brian Newsome, LEED®

A Better Way to Bid

While many companies choose to hire contractors based on cost alone, the hard bidding process doesn’t take into account the experience and qualifications of the contractor, which can make a project run more smoothly and realize cost savings.

We just went through a better bidding process with Fulton County Schools. While they still take into account the cost, they grade contractors on a weighted scale. Seventy-five percent of the bidding contractors’ grade is based on financial stability, approach to project, experience, staffing and schedule and 25 percent is based on price.

This process allows Fulton County Schools to choose the most qualified contractor whose price is within the budget. The qualifications of the contractor were important to the county because the projects they were bidding have very aggressive schedules, and they needed to be sure the contractor they choose is capable of meeting their timelines.

We thought this was a great model to bid under because it moves the public sector further toward a qualifications-based selection, instead of simply choosing the lowest bid.

Albion Scaccia is a woman-owned commercial construction company in Atlanta providing full service design, build and construction management solutions. In just over 13 years, our focus on client satisfaction has helped us grow into one of Georgia’s premier design build companies. We offer turnkey construction management services to ensure your project progresses smoothly, efficiently and within budget.

Brian Newsome, LEED® AP

Albion Scaccia Wins Georgia Tech Barnes & Noble Computer Center

Albion Scaccia is expanding our work on the Georgia Tech campus with a new project in the campus bookstore, run by Barnes & Noble.

We were selected based on our qualifications and will serve as the Construction Manager at Risk on the project, which is going to provide the bookstore with a sleek, new technology center. The remodeling project is being designed by Wakefield Beasley.

The current technology center is located on the second floor of the bookstore, but we will be bringing it downstairs to give it more prominence. The project calls for a lot of hands on areas where students can try out computers before they buy them and will encompass over 1,700 square feet.

Because we were brought in early in the design process, we hope to be able to work closely with the architects to identify options for cost savings and construction efficiencies. We expect to complete the project in mid-July.

Albion Scaccia is a woman-owned commercial construction company in Atlanta providing full service design, build and construction management solutions. In just over 13 years, our focus on client satisfaction has helped us grow into one of Georgia’s premier design build companies. We offer turnkey construction management services to ensure your project progresses smoothly, efficiently and within budget.

Brian Newsome, LEED®

Albion Scaccia Expands Healthcare Expertise

Building healthcare facilities using the latest techniques and innovations assures higher quality finished projects that are completed within production schedules and budgets. To ensure Albion Scaccia remains on the cutting edge of the healthcare construction industry, we are committed to continuing our education.

Recently, Todd Muraski and I completed training to attain the Health Care Project Manager designation from the American Society of Healthcare Engineering. The program included courses that covered everything from functional programming through project closeout.

We will also begin the process of becoming a Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC), through the American Hospital Association, by attending a two-day workshop in March. In addition to continuing education and experience requirements, we’ll need to successfully complete a rigorous exam before attaining this prestigious certification.

We welcome opportunities such as these to expand our knowledge, and as a result, provide world-class service to our clients.

Albion Scaccia is a woman-owned commercial construction company in Atlanta providing full service design, build and construction management solutions. In just over 13 years, our focus on client satisfaction has helped us grow into one of Georgia’s premier design build companies. We offer turnkey construction management services to ensure your project progresses smoothly, efficiently and within budget.

Brian Newsome, LEED® AP