The Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry recognized excellence in construction quality and safety when the winners of AWCI’s awards program were announced in March during Build23: AWCI’s Convention + Expo in Las Vegas. AWCI’s Excellence in Construction Quality Awards recognize excellence in construction quality in the face of complicated and challenging projects, and is awarded to a team of AWCI members. AWCI’s safety award gives national recognition to members who manage an effective safety program in a given year.
Through the quality awards, AWCI recognizes the member contractor as well as the member suppliers and manufacturers who also participated on the winning project. This year the following companies contributed to one or more of the winning projects: Ames Taping Tools, Armstrong Ceiling & Wall Solutions, California Expanded Metal Products (CEMCO), CertainTeed Gypsum, ClarkDietrich, Clinch-On Cornerbead Company, Colonial Materials (A GMS Company), Dryvit Systems, Inc., Excel Engineering, Inc., Foundation Building Materials, Fry Reglet, Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, Grabber Construction Products, Inc., GTS Interior Supply (A GMS Company), Hilti, Inc., Hunter Panels/Hunter XCI, Interior Supply, Inc. (AD Building Materials), L&W Supply, MarinoWARE, Master Wall, Inc., National Gypsum Company, Negwer Materials, Inc., Owens Corning, PABCO Gypsum, Radius Track Corporation, Rulon International, Specified Technologies, Inc., Spectra Precision, Tamarack Materials, Inc. (A GMS Company), Trim-Tex, Inc., United Building Materials, Inc. (A GMS Company), USG Corporation, West Coast Firestopping, Inc. and Westside Building Materials (A GMS Company).
Resorts World Theatre
Las Vegas, NV
The LEED Silver-designed Resorts World development includes a theater, a state-of-the-art, 5,000-capacity concert and entertainment venue with private lounges, special access bars and VIP opportunities set to host events like A-List concerts, conventions, corporate and sporting events. The multi-level venue, designed by the award-winning international design firm, Scéno Plus, is the home to Las Vegas’ largest and tallest performance stage with the farthest seat only 150 feet from the stage.
The George M. Raymond Company was tasked with performing the drywall, acoustical ceilings, firestopping, finishes, painting and wallcovering for this 138,000-square-foot project. And the job had to be built while overcoming a pandemic, manpower shortages and frequent design changes.
But as the schedule got tighter, the scope of work grew, presenting challenges before the stage could be set for artists like Adele, Luke Bryan, David Blaine and Kevin Hart. Interior walls were 60 feet tall and used atypical splicing engineered details. The George M. Raymond Company utilized FrameCAD technology for the framing of the raised ceiling, helping to expedite the schedule. The proscenium wall was hung from steel trusses that were more than 40 feet in length and challenging from a framing aspect.
In all, the job incorporated 466,000 linear feet of nonload-bearing studs and 122,000 linear feet of nonload-bearing track.
Difficult, long radiused ceilings combined with required flawless finishes required precise framing and attention to detail. Flat ceilings used incorporated suspended ceilings while the balcony ceilings, with their various radiuses and angles, were a combination of new and traditional framing materials. Together they created a unique finished product. Open cell ceilings and framing were unique details used at the audio rooms and audience chambers.
Thanks to skills and outstanding coordination with the field, other subcontractors and the general contractor, the George M. Raymond Company finished another award-worthy project.
