The Lean, Green Fite Machine

The next time you need a general contractor that understands green building methods, put the resources of the lean, green Fite machine on your team. We apply our 20+ years of experience, proven management program and best practices to green building and documentation standards to help you affordably implement sustainable designs that meet the green building codes.

Smart Building

Not every general contractor knows how to "go green." At Fite, we have the in-the-field experience and proven green track record to help you choose materials and processes — from the initial development phase through the final stage — that will result in a green building that achieves the LEED level you are targeting. Ultimately, you will have a healthier work environment that is more energy efficient than standard buildings.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a nonprofit membership organization with a vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation. It is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, and its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System™.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.

Unitl 2009, buildings under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers followed the Sustainable Project Rating Tool (SPiRiT), based on the LEED system.

Case Studies & Projects

SSEA Phase I
Madison Research Park West
No 3
No 4
No 5
No 6
No 7

System Software Engineering Annex, Phase I

RATING: SPiRiT Gold

The Project

The System Software Engineering Annex – named the Project of the Year by ABC – provides office space and laboratory facilities for the development of defense-related software and training that support the United States Army. The facility boasts 56,634 square feet of office and laboratory space for engineering and administration, 3,390 square feet of training area, a 2,015-square-foot videoconference room, and a 14,781-square-foot high bay designed for a future overhead crane. The total area under roof is 76,821 square feet.

A Unique Challenge

Entering the construction phase, the team’s quick response abilities were tested when 36 World War II-era mortars were unearthed in several locations around the project site, a former mortar practice range impact area. During that time in Redstone Arsenal’s history, the facility was responsible for the manufacture of mustard gas and other chemical agent munitions. In the first instances of a find at the job site, a government team from Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland was deployed to complete chemical agent detection processes with a robot. Because the job site had to be shut down for several days and the area evacuated during each occurrence, arrangements were made to bring in both civilian and government teams to remain on site, keeping downtime to a minimum.

Quality & Safety Priorities

The phrase “Safety is job one” has never been more fitting than on this project. This job was riddled with unique safety issues from exposing mortars to protecting and informing the owners’ employees of hazards in the area. Every employee of Fite Building Company and its project partners took safety seriously and personally. This is evident in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ awarding this project two Quarterly Superior Safety Awards at the local level and two Quarterly Safety Awards at the district level. The project also has been nominated twice for the Annual Safety Award at the district level. At the subcontractor level, the project was awarded four separate local safety awards.

Project Summary

The building design incorporated structural steel framing for the primary structure with a brick veneer and force-protected aluminum storefront windows and entrances. The attached high bay is primarily a pre-engineered metal building that bears on the common wall between the structures. Insulated metal wall panels were used for the metal building cladding as well as on the main structure’s back and end walls.

Elements of the Project:

  • Existing bio-pond and storm pond pumping and removal
  • Constructing new building pad (up to 28’ of fill in some areas)
  • Upgrading all site underground utilities (gas, water, sewage) and communication networks
  • Rerouting existing traffic to allow full use of existing campus
  • Constructing new access road able to handle loads of military equipment
  • Construction of two-story structure with office, conference room, classrooms, high-security labs, and high security vaults
  • Construction of a high-bay building with under slab, interconnecting duct bank running from the secure labs
  • Construction of a connecting corridor from the new structure to the existing buildings
  • Construction of all mechanical systems and allowance for additional future phases
  • Construction of a new bio-pond with allowances for future expansion
  • Construction of exterior hardstand area designed for tracked vehicle traffic
  • Coordination with contractor for the munitions center to enable the multiple-layer scanning of entire site for unexploded ordinance and its safe removal
  • Coordinated delivery and installation of owner-supplied furnishings
  • Construction of all the special high security, interior electrical, communication and computer systems that were job specific for this type of secure design facility
  • Construction of all windows and doors in accordance with new government anti-terrorism standards for explosion resistance
  • Project construction and design constantly coordinated with multiple government agencies and reviewing committees

Madison Research Park West

RATING: LEED® Gold

Construction is underway for Building A of the Madison Research Park West project, which consists of two one-story buildings that total 80,000 square feet of office space. Its new modern design creates a distinguished facility within an established office park. In addition, the buildings are Gold Level Pre-certified under the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) rating system. Meeting the stringent requirements of the LEED guidelines ensures that future tenants will be part of a high-performance work environment.

LEED® for Core & Shell

Madison Research Park West is one of several high profile buildings participating in the USGBC’s LEED for Core and Shell (LEED-CS) rating system. Released in 2003, The LEED-CS System provides a green building criteria that recognizes the unique nature of core and shell development and, therefore, can be complemented by the LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) System for tenant improvements.

LEED-CS addresses:

  • Building site selection and development
  • Efficient use of water in base core and shell building systems
  • Energy optimization of the base core and shell systems and provisions for fit out of tenant spaces to optimize operational building energy use
  • Materials and resource guidelines for construction of building core and shell
  • Planning to ensure tenant fit out makes optimal use of indoor environmental quality attributes (daylight and views) as well as prevention of contamination from indoor pollutants

By following the Gold standards within the LEED-CS guidelines, Fite Building Company projects that when completed, Building A will contain 35% recycled content and 40% regional materials. Additionally, we diverted 65% waste from the landfill.

Project 3 Coming Soon

Project 4 Coming Soon

Project 5 Coming Soon

Project 6 Coming Soon

Project 7 Coming Soon

Awards

→ Fite Building Company received the 2008 Project of the Year award from ABC – North Alabama