Smith-Midland Corp. (smithmidland.com) provided architectural precast concrete panels for an eight-story office building in Falls Church, Va. that was awarded the 2008 National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) Award of Excellence for the Best Building in the 8-14-story category.

NAIOP awards recognized significant new contributions to Northern Virginia by the commercial and industrial real estate community.

Smith-Midland, which completed the project in 50 days, was chosen to fabricate and install architectural precast concrete panels for the construction of the building under a $1.3 million contract. The 185,000 square-foot office building was clad with 27,840 square feet of colored panels with a smooth acid washed finish and a medium sandblast finish.

The building is constructed of architectural precast concrete faced with green reflective glass and accented with a granite wainscoting. The south office building facade and main entrance elevation is constructed on a radius and features an aluminum curtainwall system with green tinted glass.  Color matching aluminum metal panels and architectural precast concrete complete the elevation.  The main building entrance is connected to a three-story parking structure with an arcade and covered walkway.

The building is owned by Fairview Property Investments; architectwas Noritake Associates; and general contractor was James G. Davis Construction Corp.

Architectural precast concrete panels were largely chosen because of the low-maintenance that precast concrete panels afford and to gain the cost savings by the shorter erection and construction time. Architectural precast concrete panels also provide long-term durability in a façade that is resistant to impact, corrosion, weathering, abrasion and other ravages of time, making it virtually maintenance-free and resulting in preservation of the building's original look.

The durability of precast concrete eliminates the need for ongoing maintenance thereby saving the owner future monetary expenditure.