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Volume 15
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Number 8
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AUGUST 2016
Italy welcomes armadillo
30 years building Austin
The Armadillo Vault is a complex stone vault on display in Italy.
Flynn Construction is celebrating 30 years helping to build Austin. L-R: Art Campbell, senior project manager; Leah Baxter, business development director; Patrick Flynn, president/CEO; and Russell Alabastro, vice president.
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lot of people in Texas have probably never heard of La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, Italy, but its origin dates back to 1893, when the Venetian City Council passed a resolution to set up a biennial exhibition of Italian art. A year later, the council decreed "to adopt a 'by invitation' system; to reserve a section of the Exhibition for foreign artists.” Over the years, various things have changed with the Biennale di Venezia, but this year, an Austin builder has built what is being called an engineering marvel that is on display at the event from May 28 to Nov. 27, 2016. Called the Armadillo Vault, the freestanding, compression-only stone vault is the brainchild of David Escobedo, principal owner of The Escobedo Group,
and Dr. Phillipe Block, who interned with The Escobedo Group while earning a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Our involvement with the Armadillo dates back almost nine years, when MIT professor, Dr. John Ochsendorf (one of the leading experts on stone vaults), contacted David and asked if the stone staircase in a photo he saw in a design magazine was really in true cantilever,” says Jenée Arthur, Escobedo spokesperson. “David affirmed that the staircase he built in Escobedo’s main office is, in fact, in true cantilever. John then stated that he would like to send his top engineering student, Philippe, to intern with David if he could make stone do those sorts of things.” continued on Page 17
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ike many in the construction industry, Patrick Flynn started Flynn Construction at his kitchen table with $5,000 he had gotten from a tax return. It was May 1986 and the nation was in the midst of a recession, but the recent University of Texas architectural engineering graduate says he didn’t know it. “I didn’t have any money anyway, so I didn’t know what a recession was,” Flynn laughs. Now, as he sits in a conference room decorated on one wall with many coveted Associated General Contractors Excellence in Construction eagles, Flynn reflects on celebrating 30 years in business.
“My very first job was a little remodel for McGuire’s Clocks,” Flynn says. Now, the company’s projects are a tad bit bigger – including the 80,0000-sf J&J Worldwide corporate headquarters, a 50,000-sf design build for Central Health’s flagship and a current 60,000-sf DNA lab project. Flynn Construction also has a long-standing relationship with several universities, including 25 years working with UT and recently finishing Central Plaza at Texas State University. The company is family-oriented, Flynn says, and he believes that is why he has long-term employees, including Mike Coxe, general superintendent, who continued on Page 17
Friday night lights come to life
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ust in time for the famous Friday Night Lights of Texas high school football, one rural school district will be unveiling a brand new, state-of-theart athletic complex. The $6 million project took a little more than nine months to build and will be home to the Johnson City ISD Eagles. Braun & Butler Construction was the construction manager at risk on the project, which was paid for with funds the school district has been saving since 2005. According to Kenton Heinze, president of Braun & Butler, the project came off very smoothly, considering the weather in Texas over the last year and the challenge of scheduling deliveries for the materials used. “For the first half of the project, we were in a drought, and the dust control so we wouldn’t overwhelm the neighbors was a factor,” Heinze said. “Then we
Ready for football? The Johnson City ISD Eagles are with a brand new stadium. (Photos by Donny Olmos, Braun & Butler Construction)
had a monsoon!” He credits the fact that the project owner, Johnson City ISD, the architect, Fromberg & Associates, and Braun & Butler were on the same page from the start – allowing the project to run efficiently. Project manager was Kyle Pearson and project superintendent was Nathan Barry. “Johnson City ISD were fantastic partners,” he says. “They were on board with us and the architect from the very beginning so we were able to have input into the process and design. It was very transparent with a lot of give and take.” Others Heinze gave credit to were Champion Site Prep of Georgetown and Lehne Construction Inc. of Austin for getting a good jump on the project before the rain hit. One thing that makes this stadium stand out – for many reasons – is the turf. continued on Page 17