Saturday, April 14, 2012

Build Group Successfully Completes Phase I of Largest Solar Carport Project at a Veteran's Affairs Hospital in the Country

Build Group, Inc. (www.buildgc.com) today announced the completion of the first phase of a massive solar support canopy project at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The company provided design/build services to long time client REC Solar.

Located on the South campus of the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Phase I consists of 3.72 MW of the 6.8 MW of solar carports slated for installation. When complete, the project will be the largest installation of solar canopies on a VA hospital campus in the United States. Build Group kept the parking lots open by carefully sequencing the work to accommodate automobile and pedestrian traffic. The implementation team posted prominent signs and performed meticulous preplanning of logistics to ensure the safety of hospital staff, patients and visitors during installation.

The project design incorporates seven solar panels across each T structure, compared to the industry standard of only six panels. By elevating more panels with the same amount of structure, the per-unit watt return is maximized. Due to temperate winds in the area, the structure is designed to withstand a standard 85 MPH wind. Cost efficient drilled cast-in-place piles were used as well as 240-watt panels.

Build Group utilizes its international and national supply chain of AISC certified structural steel fabricators to source the materials on behalf of clients. With a strong pipeline of manufacturers, Build Group guarantees clients high quality products at extremely competitive prices. Only domestic materials were utilized for the West Los Angeles VA project in accord with the Federal "Buy American Act".

"Our solar canopy expertise allows us to expedite construction thereby minimizing impact on business operations," said Eric Horn, Build Group's Chief Operating Officer. "We are pleased to help the Department of Veterans Affairs achieve their goal of becoming a leader in alternative energy."

"Build Group worked very successfully with us and delivered high quality product and proactive service while keeping the VA's busy parking lots in full operation," said Burke Kascha-Hare, Director of Federal Business Development at REC Solar, Inc. "We rely on them for innovative designs that result in fast, high-quality execution.

With over 27 MW under construction, in design, or completed, Build Group's other notable solar structure projects include: another 3 MW for REC Solar at the West Angeles Veterans Affairs Hospital; 8 MW for Chevron Energy Solutions at various campuses throughout Eastside Union High School District in San Jose, California; 1.4 MW for REC Solar at the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Hospital, California; .504 MW for REC Solar at the Martinez Veterans Affairs Hospital, California and 9 MW for Solar City at various school districts in Lancaster, Chico, and Davis, California.

About Build Group
Established in 2007, Build Group is a privately held California Corporation located in San Francisco. The company provides general contracting services to a diverse clientele and specializes in multifamily residential, mixed-use, office buildings, solar support structures, parking garages, retail and restaurants. Build Group self-performs structural concrete and provides services to other general contractors through its sister company, Pacific Structures. For more information please visit www.buildgc.com. A patent pending design of Build Group, Solumbria, provides adaptable and upgradeable solar support structure solutions for private and public projects.

About REC Solar
REC Solar, a Mainstream Energy company, is an industry leading solar power provider specializing in grid-tied residential and commercial installations. With more than 8,000 systems installed in 16 states across the USA, REC Solar has been committed to lowering the cost of solar power through efficient processes, innovative products and outstanding customer service since 1997. For additional information on REC Solar visit www.recsolar.com or call 1-888-OK-SOLAR (888-675-6527).

SOURCE: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/03/24/prweb9321034.DTL

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