Southwest Airlines Wings Project Gets TEXO Award

DALLAS—For its work on the Southwest Airlines Wings project, McCarthy Building Companies Inc. has been awarded the Construction Industry Association/TEXO 2019 Distinguished Building Award for the category of general contractor for projects in excess of $75 million. TEXO selected winning projects for the awards based on difficulty in construction, original construction techniques involved, final appearance, quality of the finished product and the timeliness of the project’s completion. For TEXO members, it is recognized as one of the most prestigious awards in the nation.

The Southwest Airlines Wings project took approximately two years to complete. It consists of a new office building and Leadership Education and Aircrew Development/LEAD Center. The complex includes a six-story 425,000-square-foot office building, a 1,950-space parking garage and an attached 375,000-square-foot LEAD building that houses 18 flight simulator bays.

McCarthy served as the construction manager at-risk with architect BOKA Powell on the project and the team faced unique challenges along the way. The LEAD Center was designed and built to protect the expensive equipment it houses against natural and man-made disasters, and McCarthy, which self-performed concrete work, had to determine the right materials to meet that need.

The LEAD Center is built with a pre-cast hardened structure designed to withstand the forces of an F3 tornado which has wind speeds of 210 mph. It also includes a blast slab, two-layer roof and a 20-by-20-foot elevator, which is the largest elevator ever built in a flight simulator facility. Additionally, the team added additional reinforcing and large columns to increase structural rigidity.

“The Southwest Airlines Wings project was not without its challenges of critical timing, manpower and weather but the team was able to deliver a complex, world-class project with an exceptional safety record and on time,” said Joe Jouvenal, McCarthy’s Southern region president. “McCarthy is very proud of our work for and partnership with Southwest Airlines, and is excited to share this award with all the teams involved on this exciting project.”

McCarthy utilized innovative technologies such as laser scanning during construction to maintain quality on the job site, and save time and money. Building information modeling was used to assist crews with precise installation of all structural components. Teams used a model for coordination of MEP for concrete lift drawings to ensure plates, electric panels and wires were not missed. These methods ultimately help the client track placement of all building elements for future repairs and renovations.

McCarthy also won a Diamond Safety Training and Evaluation Process/STEP Award for the Southwest Airlines project. STEP determines merit through 20 key components of safety and is judged by the Associated Builders and Contractors National Environment Health & Safety Committee. To qualify for the Diamond-level award, the company must show an incidence rate of at least 50% below the national Bureau of Labor Statistics average for its specific NAICS code and maintain it for at least three uninterrupted years. Firms must also have an EMR or mod factor at or below 0.700 (0.800 for companies with fewer than 100 employees), GlobeSt.com learns.

Winning these two awards qualifies McCarthy to enter Southwest Airlines Wings to compete in the state and national Associated Builders and Contractors and Associated General Contractors awards, the construction industry’s premier annual awards programs.

And on the heels of these awards, the Southwest Airlines Wings and LEAD Center is getting more space.

“McCarthy is currently leading an expansion of this project at SWA’s campus near Love Field,” Jouvenal tells GlobeSt.com. “The three-story 141,000-square-foot expansion project will add space for eight additional flight simulators up from its current 18 simulators, additional room for briefing rooms and space for smaller flight training devices. It’s anticipated to open in the fall of 2020.”