The construction is underway at the new Miami-Dade County Communication Center and Communications, FLA. The design design team led by Suffolk Construction Co. He finished the three -year project in early July, with Gensler as the main designer.
Located in the city of Sweetwater, about six kilometers from Miami International Airport, the 12 -story installation will be fortified against hurricanes in category 5 with exterior walls of 8 thick. With a communications tower of 80 feet high, the new structure will contain three levels of mixed use offices, a training center and a parking garage of nine levels, emergency response vehicles and other essential teams, as well as about 150,000 square meters of offices and support spaces.
Suffolk will also add 109,000 square meters of administrative space and support to the existing light light building by construction of a new second floor and will build a rooftop helipad. A protected pedestrian bridge will link the two facilities, while the perimeter of the 11 -hectare site will be updated with new safety fences and walls, security doors and cameras. The project also pursues the Leed Silver certification, along with 600 charger locations and an on -site fuel station for critical fleets.
In addition to providing continuity of local government services under emergency conditions, the IC3 will also allow the county to more efficiently follow the “unified” model of the federal government for disaster response.
The Board of Commissioners of Miami-Dade County approved the contract of $ 212 million of Suffolk for the IC3 in July 2023 under a resignation of the candidacy. A Memorandum by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava explained that although the company had been selected to start negotiations in 2021 as part of the original competitive selection process, major post-paid work scales, equipment and materials needed the addition of a disposition for future price adjustments to join the design design agreement.
The Memorandum added that although the provision was not provided to affect the ranking of the participating companies, as it was a problem in the entire industry, it represented “a material change in the announced contract”, therefore requiring the approval of the final design design agreement as a resignation of the offer. The approval of the Board also included a modification to the agreement that changed the responsibility of buying the Builder risk insurance from Suffolk in the County, which resulted in $ 2 million in cost savings.
By virtue of a separate contract, Poole & Kent Company from Florida received a $ 31 million contract to harden the existing light light building, including measures to protect the critical infrastructure of chronic water intrusion. The project will also update the building’s mechanical systems to a more resistant and efficient modern water system that will also serve the new IC3.
