ACInsider Year in Review 2023

Now that we’re well into the start of the New Year, we can finally take a moment to catch our collective breath and reflect a bit on the very good year that was 2023.

ACI continued our growth trajectory that we had set about in the post-pandemic year of 2022; projects, geographic reach, and number of employees are all on the rise. Our backlog of jobs is solid, our reach has now expanded confidently into Northern Virginia and Wilmington, North Carolina, and our employee count has grown to well above 1150. Our offices in Roanoke and Hampton Roads are experiencing steady growth as they carry the ACI Mission in Western and Southeastern Virginia and at home here in Richmond, construction of our new facility (HQ2, as we refer to it these days) is moving along on schedule (feel free to take a look HERE).

Below, we invite you to explore a handful of achievements that made us proud in 2023, projects that were thoroughly imbued with the ACI Mission to be EXTRAORDINARY, through Innovation, Collaboration, and Diversity. We hope the year just passed was a good one for you, and we invite you to join with us in this New Year and as we work to make it a great one!

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Confidential Modular Pipe Rack Project

Atlantic Modular Steps Up

About this Project

Realizing that ACI was uniquely well-positioned to take on very large, complex modular projects, one of our partnering firms engaged us to assist in building 61 modular units of pipe racks for one of the highest profile clients/companies in North America.

With a very challenging schedule to meet, work started on the contract (valued at just under $6M) just after Thanksgiving and was completed by the start of the last week of January, which made it just shy of an 8-week turnaround. Systems on the racks were: Electrical, Chilled Water, Natural Gas, Domestic Water, Compressed Air, Non-potable Water, and Steam.

– Fabrication & erection of 277 tons of steel.
– Installation of 11,000 feet of pipe
– Coordination of outside insulation & electrical crews to install to form a multi trade rack.
– Shipment to Tennessee


In the time-lapse video below, you can see 18 days of the process compressed into 38 seconds:

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Confidential Owner

A Decade-long Relationship Continues

About this Project

ACI was engaged in the first of four data center projects in Boydton, VA, over a decade ago, resulting in project success and relationships that have grown our project resume to be one of the leading mission-critical contractors in Virginia today. ACI will have completed over $30M in mission-critical construction services in 2023 alone (creating a combined total of $76M for this series of projects). Recently awarded mission-critical projects occurring during 2024 will far exceed construction services completed in 2023.

Completion of one 250,000 Data Center Facility while starting another 250,000 SF data center facility
– 160 Air Handling units per facility
– 160 Supply Louvers, damper assemblies (ACI Prefabricated)
– 160 Return Lovers, damper assemblies (ACI Prefabricated)
– 2 Air Handling units, and associated HVAC equipment dedicated to admin office spaces

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VCU Health Main Hospital

3rd Floor IR Renovation

About this Project

The VCU Health IR Main 3 project included 43,000 square feet of renovation scope on the 3rd Floor of the Main Hospital at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center to support the needs of VCU Health System Authority.

The significant renovations to accommodate five new interventional radiology rooms, two new CT rooms, two new procedural ultrasound rooms, a new fluoroscopy room, a new twenty‐five bay prep‐recovery area, new radiology reading rooms and clinical and administrative support space. The scope of the project also includes the construction of a new 7,500 SF mezzanine between the 2nd and 3rd levels to accommodate administrative offices and support space.

– AHU replacement of an existing air handling unit currently on the 4th floor of the Main Hospital
– Temporary AHU staged and tied to existing duct to provide conditioning in the hospital while the unit was being replaced
– The project was completed in multiple phases due to coordinating scope with active healthcare services

 

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Lego Warehouse

Upfitting a Massive 270,000 SF Facility

About this Project

ACI was awarded the Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection scopes for an upfit to an existing 257,000 SF warehouse. This facility serves as a temporary training location for new hires of the permanent Lego facility soon to be constructed nearby. We were aware from the beginning that the schedule for this project was accelerated and ACI was prepared to successfully meet the challenge of that timeline.

The warehouse work included new HVAC units, an additional electrical switchboard, lighting, copious amounts of duct work and plumbing fixtures, low voltage work and sprinkler pipes.

– One 6 Ton Air Cooled Chiller
– 20 Package Roof Top Units
– A total of 291 GRDs were installed in the office space.
– ACI installed over 8,800 feet of pipe (copper and cast iron)
– 2000-amp switch board added existing 3000-amp main electrical service
– 2 Package DX Air Handling Units
– 79 plumbing fixtures installed in the building, including the emergency eyewash and wall hydrants in the warehouse space
– 30 VAVs
– 2 Air Compressors and accessories for complete system directed by Lego
– 16 forklift battery chargers were installed

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Confidential Owner

Two Advanced Manufacturing Infrastructure Improvement Projects

About these Projects

ACI’s scope of work on this pair of manufacturing space transformation projects consisted of Utility Steel, Mechanical Ductwork, Operational Infrastructure and other utility piping improvements. The combined value of the projects was $20M.

– Utility steel fabrication and install
– Operational Infrastructure improvements converting warehouse to manufacturing
– Manufacturing equipment setting
– Sheetmetal systems ranging from standard HVAC and dust collection to built-up walkable ductwork
– Modifications to Mechanical Equipment Room – equipment changeout, piping, venting modifications

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Bon Secours St. Francis Health System

Upfit of MOB

About this Project

ACI was tasked to upfit the Fire protection in the existing MOB building and install new systems for the vertical expansion of the existing hospital. The project spanned 4 floors and 332,430 square feet.

Our experienced crews were able to successfully complete the upfit of the entire 1st and 4th floors of the MOB building while the remainder of the hospital and MOB remained actively treating patients.

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Virginia Tech Holden Hall

Mechanical and Plumbing for 124,000 SF Building

About this Project

Virginia Tech’s Holden Hall currently houses the university’s Mining and Mineral Engineering Program as well as the Material Science and Engineering Program. ACI was the prime M&P contractor on this project, which consisted of installation of all new mechanical and plumbing systems, including several lab spaces in addition to custom Air Handlers located in a penthouse on the roof. ACI prefabbed all piping/plumbing racks in corridors on all floors which included domestic water, lab water, lab gases, HVAC piping, etc. Other prefab included all piping for mechanical room and all bathroom groups. Our prefab capabilities helped control the schedule and keep the project moving and on schedule.

– 3 Custom Air Handlers
– 700 Tons of cooling
– 78,000 man hours
– 210,000 pounds of ductwork

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VCU Children’s Hospital Ronald McDonald House

Tenant Build-Out in Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU

About this Project

ACI’s Service & Special Projects Division performed the tenant build-out on this 3,800 SF in-Hospital Ronald McDonald House. The facility serves caregivers and families while their children receive care in the hospital. The build-out included dining and lounging areas, four Family Sleep Rooms, a food-service area, laundry facilities, a children’s play area, and an outdoor patio.

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Confidential Data Center

Specialized Fire Protection

About this Project

ACI’s Fire Protection Division wrapped up two Data Center projects this year, making a total of four over the past three years for the same customer. The total square footage of all four projects combined is a whopping 2,479,551 for contract amounts totaling $15M

The scope of work performed in these two most recent Data Center projects consisted of 27 Sprinkler Systems, 25 Pre-Action and 2 wet systems.

– Pre-Action Sprinkler systems utilize Nitrogen Generators to fill sprinkler pipe with inert gas to significantly extending the longevity of the sprinkler system.
– Over 120,000 feet, or 22.5 miles of sprinkler pipe!
– Worked with DPR to pre-fabricate a Multi-Trade Rack which housed sprinkler bulk feeds.

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Confidential Project

Confidential Project

Research Facility

About this Project

DPR chose ACI as a their M&P partner for a brand new research facility in SW Virginia. This project had a very time sensitive schedule which led to several components of the job being pre-fabricated, including 100 Phoenix valves and seven process water skids. The project is expected to finish on time, later in February.

ACI performed the M&P scope of work on this $12M research facility (location undisclosed).

Equipment included:

– 3 Air Cooled Chillers
– 8 Air Handling Units
– 3 Strobic Fans
– 100 Phoenix Valves
– 7 Process Water Skids

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Atlantic Constructors, Inc. is a full service industrial and commercial contractor headquartered in Richmond, VA (Chesterfield County) with satellite offices in Newport News, Roanoke, Hampton Roads, Sterling, and Wilmington, NC. Our highly skilled team of over 1100 employees serves customers throughout the mid-Atlantic region. For more information, visit www.acibuilds.com.