Balance bunker and Phase III projects breaks ground at Mitsubishi Plant in Georgia

The joint venture of H. J. High Construction/Batson-Cook Company recently broke ground on the construction of a Balance Bunker at Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas (MPSA) Savannah Machinery Works project.

The structure is the fourth project on the campus to be built by the team.

The stand-alone Balance Bunker will bring the latest in product testing technology to the Savannah Machinery Works.

The facility, a modification of similar facilities used by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Inc. (MHI) in Japan, was designed by a joint design team of engineers and architects from The Austin Company of Cleveland, Ohio, MPSA and MHI.

The chamber will be contained within a single-story precast and insulated metal panel building, conventionally framed with steel columns, beams and joists. The chamber is constructed of seven feet of reinforced concrete walls lined with inner and outer steel that will be capable of withstanding nearly zero atmosphere under vacuum. The structure will be connected with the main manufacturing facility by a rail line, also built by High / Batson-Cook.

The project, which broke ground in August, is scheduled to be completed in November 2012.

Also announced, the third phase of the MPSA Savannah Machinery Works construction project was awarded to the joint venture of H.J. High Construction/Batson-Cook.

The team, which built the initial two phases of the facility, will erect a $16 million, 74,000-sf manufacturing bay for the new facility in Pooler, Ga.

The new project, Bay 4, will be home to the gas turbine and steam turbine assembly activities. H.J. High and Batson-Cook will install a crane system to aid in the compilation of its product.

In addition, 400 feet of railroad track will be constructed inside the facility. The track will connect to a new spur, built in Phase II of the project, linking the Savannah Machinery Works to the Port of Savannah. This phase is expected to complete in March of 2012. BD+C

Boyd R. Zoccola is Chair and Chief Elected Officer of BOMA International. A BOMA member since 1994, he has served on the Executive, Finance, Investment, and Medical/Healthcare Facilities Committees. An Indiana Real Estate Principal Broker and a board member of the Real Estate Round Table, he is Executive Vice President of Hokanson Companies, Inc., of Indianapolis, and has been involved in the development of $600 million worth of real estate. On a volunteer basis, Zoccola was president of Horizon House and a board member of Girls, Inc. He holds a BA in biology from Indiana University.