RICHMOND, Va. — River City Middle School is the winner of an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Central Virginia and Hampton Roads Chapter 2021 Excellence in Construction (EIC) award.
This award program is the construction industry’s leading competition that honors general contractors for world-class, safe, and innovative construction projects. Judges evaluated projects on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety, and cost. This year’s award recipients exceeded expectations in innovation and quality while adapting to an unprecedented year in health and safety protocols.
According to Robert Camlin, Vice President, ABC-VA, winning projects were chosen for extraordinary teamwork among general contractors, specialty contractors, material suppliers, architects, and engineers.
Merit Award Winner: River City Middle School
River City Middle School is a new 183,759-SF middle school in Richmond that supports 1,500 students in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades. The school replaced Elkhardt Middle School which was closed in 2015 due to poor air quality and deficient building conditions.
Designed in the Craftsman style, the school has positive energy and street-front appeal. The building is organized into two zones; shared public spaces are spread across the front of the building and three distinct “grade houses” occupy the rear. Between the grade-houses are outdoor academic courtyards. The LEED-certified project offers includes sustainable features such as electric vehicle charging stations, low-flow water, energy-efficient building systems, underground rainwater catchments, drought-tolerant plantings, and community green spaces. Outdoor amenities include classrooms in the courtyards, a natural turf soccer field, as well as track, basketball, and tennis courts. A fresh-air amphitheater space is built into the hillside.
A Community Investment
The delivery of River City Middle School presented a transformational opportunity for students in Richmond’s Southside. Richmond’s Mayor, Levar Stoney, took a personal interest in the project and visited numerous times during construction.
“This is a community investment…it represents our shared belief that no matter their zip code, family income, race, religion, gender identity, ethnicity, first language or learning style, every single student in RPS deserves the same opportunity to learn in a healthy, safe environment. This is a testament to what we can do when we all work together.” – Mayor Levar Stoney, City of Richmond
Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc. was the general contractor. RRMM served as the architect for the project, and AECOM served as the owner’s representative. Team members received the award on October 27th, 2021 at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk.
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