A.P. Construction Company awarded Chelsea Piers project - $35 million sports and recreation complex

A.P. Construction Company, a division of The Ashforth Company, was awarded, Chelsea Piers Connecticut sports and recreation complex and is now several months into the construction of the $35 million project. This 400,000 s/f facility is located on the city's East Side on a 33 acre property which was the former headquarters to Clairol. The anticipated completion date of the project is summer 2012. The architect is James G. Rogers Associates. A.P. Construction's team includes David Breidenbach, project director, project managers Joe Orlando and Mark Kammerer and superintendents Mike Steadman, Scott Marlow and Mark Moran, mechanical coordinator Ed Bueti, project accountant Teresa Intrieri and estimator Paul Shamas. "We were thrilled to be chosen to partner with Chelsea Piers Connecticut and construct what will be a world-class athletic facility for Stamford, its community and the state of Connecticut," said Andrew Ashforth, CEO of A.P. Construction and Co-CEO of The Ashforth Co. Chelsea Piers New York is recognized for re-developing several Hudson River piers on the west side of Manhattan into sports and entertainment complex. The Conn. project includes the renovation of two connected factory buildings into a three-tiered venue: ground level, mezzanine area and roof area. The ground level of the complex will feature two NHL-size ice rinks, a family aquatic center, a competition Olympic-sized swimming pool, gymnastics and trampoline center, twelve squash courts, batting cages and training area. A new main entrance will also be added to the exterior of the building. The mezzanine area will provide a viewing area to all sports areas, seating area for food concession and special event rooms, locker areas for the tennis and rooftop sports area and a fitness center. The roof area will include a tennis club with seven courts in a new prefabricated building. A second prefabricated building will have all-purpose, dividable turf sporting fields, volleyball, and basketball. The new central core with elevator, offices and lobby will connect the two prefabricated buildings on the roof to the lower levels. The most challenging aspect of the project has been the modification of the structure with the elimination of columns to create open space on the ground level for hockey rinks and the pool while carrying the additional weight of the roof structures. Since the roof will hold tennis courts and an indoor playing field, truncated columns and inverted king trusses were need to displace the load sideways to other columns instead of downward to footings. The anticipated completion date of the project is summer 2012. The architect is James G. Rogers Associates. A.P. Construction's team includes David Breidenbach, project director, project managers Joe Orlando and Mark Kammerer and superintendents Mike Steadman, Scott Marlow and Mark Moran, mechanical coordinator Ed Bueti, project accountant Teresa Intrieri and estimator Paul Shamas. David Tewksbury, co-founder of Chelsea Piers New York and president of Chelsea Piers Connecticut said the project is based on community and Chelsea Piers Connecticut looks forward to partnering with Stamford's businesses, area schools and sports teams. About A.P. Construction Company (www.apconst.com) Headquartered in Stamford, CT, A.P. Construction Company is a construction management and general contracting firm. Specializing in corporate renovations and new construction, the company is experienced in all types of construction including corporate interiors, educational facilities, healthcare and municipal facilities and residential properties. In the last five years, the company's average annual volume has been over $70 million per year with the majority of work in Fairfield County, CT as well as other parts of Connecticut and Westchester County, NY. About The Ashforth Company (www.ashforth.com) Headquartered in Stamford, CT, The Ashforth Company is a 115-year-old diversified real estate firm that owns, develops, and invests in assets on the East and West Coasts, and provides third party services including asset and property management, general contracting and construction management. Directly and through its affiliates, the company owns/manages over six million square feet of office space nationwide.