Welliver received the 2023 Jeffrey J. Zogg Build New York Award from the Associated General Contractors New York State (AGC NYS). In recognition of excellence in construction management and teamwork, the AGC NYS presented the award for the Cornell University North Campus Residential Expansion (NCRE) project. The award ceremony was held on May 4, 2023 in Albany, New York in conjunction with the AIA NYS Excelsior Awards for Public Architecture.
NCRE was developed in anticipation of the University’s growing class size, coupled with Cornell’s commitment to provide undergraduates quality housing options on campus. Welliver provided preconstruction and construction services for this two‐phase, LEED Gold, 776,000 square foot expansion of the student life residential complex.
“Welliver is proud to be acknowledged for the hard work and commitment of our project teams and design partners,” said Anne Welliver-Hartsing, President. “Recognition by the AGC NYS, as well as our peers in the construction industry, is a testament to the expertise of our people, versatility of the team, and construction capability to successfully execute large projects such as the residential expansion on the Cornell campus.”
In collaboration with ikon.5 architects, the fast‐tracked project provides 2,000+ new beds for first year and sophomore students on Cornell’s residential North Campus. Both sites include three to five story courtyard buildings that are sited and arranged to engage and respond to the adjacent campus, as well as enhance the student life experience. Students can collaborate and socialize in numerous lounges, meeting spaces, classrooms, and kitchens found throughout all five buildings. At the heart of NCRE is the new 58,230 square foot Morrison Dining Hall featuring 11 micro stations and a 2,400 square foot Discovery Kitchen with 24 teaching stations used for academic classes and Cornell dining. The scope of the work included a vast array of construction including new buildings, road improvements, landscaping, high end foodservice, and turf fields. NCRE is the largest project Cornell University has completed sprawling across 27 acres of the campus in total and involving three different municipalities. Welliver emphasizes working with local contractors when possible. During peak construction, NCRE employed more than 500 people. This project provided over $192 million dollars of revenue to contractors in New York State. NCRE was also named the 2022 ENR Regional Best Project in the Higher Education/Research category, 2022 Excellence in Safety Award Winner, as well as the 2022 New York Project of the Year this past November.
“The Jeffrey J. Zogg Build NY Award is a symbol of a cohesive construction team. This group, from the architects to the craftspeople, epitomizes the characteristics that this award represents – substance, quality, and dependability,” said Ben Robertson, Project Executive. “I am very proud of the way the team came together and remained dedicated to the North Campus Residential Expansion (NCRE), and am fortunate to have been a part of it. We greatly appreciate the recognition from AGC NYS.”
In 1990 the AGC Build New York Awards program was developed as a way to highlight the positive impact of the construction industry in New York State involving building and heavy/highway construction. Today, the awards emphasize the construction team, not only the general contractor or construction manager, but also many others – the owner, architect, engineer, subcontractors, suppliers, and craftspeople – who contribute to the success of a project.