PORTAL recognized for engineering excellence

McKim & Creed Inc. has received an Engineering Excellence Grand Award for its work on the PORTAL Building. The honor was presented by the American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina at its annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala in Raleigh.

PORTAL, which stands for Partnership, Outreach and Research to Accelerate Learning, is a business incubator and corporate innovation center that offers a unique and flexible environment for emerging enterprises.

Jennifer Price, a construction manager in the UNC Charlotte Facilities Management Department, said, “PORTAL is a beautiful example of how form and function in a building can work together in perfect harmony. Within this building, there were many engineering challenges to overcome: a cafe that sits above a secured area, adjustable walls to allow for flexibility of tenant spaces, conference rooms housed within glass partitions that sit in ‘bridges’ across the main atrium and so many more, all the while having to meet the mandate of an energy reduction per the State of North Carolina. McKim & Creed, working in conjunction with Pease (LaBella), overcame these challenges and worked with the design and construction team to deliver a building that not only meets the form that the University needed and desired but also functions efficiently throughout all the systems.”

The 96,000-square-foot PORTAL Building was designed by LaBella Associates with McKim & Creed providing engineering services that enhanced energy efficiency and accommodated the building’s flexibility. McKim & Creed is an employee-owned firm with more than 350 staff members in offices throughout the United States, including North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Texas and Pennsylvania.