DPR Construction crews recently celebrated a major milestone on Greenville County’s new Administration building in downtown Greenville, SC. County officials and residents were joined by dozens of construction workers, developers, architects, and engineers for a traditional topping-out ceremony as the building’s final steel beam was hoisted in place. “The new County Administration Building is so much more than a beautiful civic facility. This building will become the cornerstone of a legacy development that enhances the financial future for Greenville County. At the topping out, we’re celebrating the men and women, the skilled tradesmen, and artisans who are building our vision into a reality,” said Shannon Herman, Assistant County Administrator, Strategic Operations at GreenvilleCounty.

The 6-story, 250,000-sq.-ft. building will be a focal point on Greenville’s, 40-acre County Square redevelopment project with RocaPoint Partners as the site’s developer.

“In early 2020, DPR was putting the final touches on Clemson University's Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business,” said Brandon Scott, a DPR project executive. “We began to understand the similarities to the proposed Greenville County Administration Building, focusing on applicable lessons learned, we were awarded the $65M iconic gateway project in Spring 2020.”

Like other projects underway, COVID-19 and its effects created uncertainty on a very challenging project, especially in terms of budget and scope. “Using our national supply chain resources, local trade partner relationships, and leveraging value management, we were able to commit to a GMP in November of 2020 that delivered Foster & Partners vision well within the pre-COVID square foot pricing of Class A office space,” said Scott.

Using an aggressive procurement strategy to commit trade packages quickly and limit material and labor escalation as the market rates skyrocketed, DPR stayed the course of its commitment to engage historically underutilized businesses as promised by the County to the Greenville community. “22.5% of the cost of work of the project has been awarded to women-s, minority-, and/or veteran-owned small businesses,” said Scott.

When complete, the new building with a stunning, nearly all-glassfaçade will house County administration, courts, and Council chambers as well as support services and retail options for visitors. The project design was in partnership with Foster + Partners and NELSON Worldwide.