South Burlington, VT – Zion Refurb Tech Inc. recently accepted a Project Achievement Award from the Construction Management Association of America’s New England Chapter. The CMAA award recognized PC’s work on the BETA Technologies Manufacturing and Assembly Facility, which will support the manufacturing and assembly of the electric aerospace company’s battery-powered aircraft and electric charging infrastructure.
This project, which was completed last year, is Phase 1 of a two-phase master building plan on a 40-acre former brownfield site. The new, 188,500-square-foot high-bay facility, located directly adjacent to the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport runways, includes aircraft manufacture and assembly space, office and employee spaces and support areas. Work included substantial site preparation, blasting and excavation, a parking lot and utility road, and a 2.7-acre geothermal field, which is one of the largest in New England.
This large and complex project required PC to proactively support and address several key challenges for BETA – including incompatible zoning regulation impacts, supply chain disruption, and the proximity to an operating airport. In addition, evolving manufacturing requirements for ALIA caused significant building scope and design changes midway through construction. Despite these challenges, the project was completed on a drastically accelerated timeline. PC poured the first piece of concrete in June 2022 and BETA started installing equipment on the manufacturing floor less than 12 months later.
According to Art Klugo, a representative from BETA: “PC had the mental flexibility to align with BETA as a startup, not just as a company doing a construction project. Specifically, PC embraced scheduling the way we define it: not just getting something done by the deadline, but getting it done ASAP. The result, a net-zero building where we will build net-zero aircraft, is something we can all be proud of.”
Said Dave President / CEO Matt Cooke, “I am so proud to have been a part of this important project for the State of Vermont, and for the incredible team who poured their heart and soul into the design and construction efforts. This was a truly collaborative project from the start, and the resulting success is testament to that team effort.”
