Press Release

ADF Lands Another Prestigious Contract: Cdn$44.5 Million for Phase I of the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum in Northern Virginia

By SpaceRef Editor
May 9, 2001
Filed under ,

TERREBONNE,
QUEBEC–Management
of
ADF
GROUP
INC.
is
pleased
to
announce
that
the
Company
has
been
awarded
the
mandate
to
engineer,
fabricate
and
install
the
structural
steel
and
architectural
metal,
as
well
as
to
provide
the
metal
surface
treatment
work
for
the
Smithsonian’s
National
Air
&
Space
Museum
at
Washington
Dulles
International
Airport
in
Northern
Virginia.
The
Company
is
starting
Phase
I
of
the
project
immediately.
Worth
US$29
million
(Cdn$44.5
million),
Phase
I
covers
the
construction
of
the
aviation
centre.
ADF
also
has
an
option
for
Phase
II,
estimated
at
US$8.7
million
(Cdn$13.5
million),
for
the
subsequent
erection
of
the
space
centre.
Both
phases
will
be
completed
simultaneously
so
the
museum
can
open
in
December
2003,
to
coincide
with
the
centennial
of
the
Wright
Brothers’
historic
flight.

Pierre
Paschini,
President
and
Chief
Operating
Officer,
stated
that
this
mandate
is
amongst
ADF’s
most
challenging
so
far,
and
in
more
ways
than
one.
“The
10-storey
main
hangar,
as
long
as
two
and
a
half
football
fields,
will
be
free
of
columns
so
its
roof
will
be
supported
by
seventeen
100-foot-high
trusses
curved
into
arches.
More
than
200
aircraft
will
be
displayed
at
three
levels,
two
of
which
suspended
from
the
structure,
that
visitors
will
be
able
to
view
from
a
network
of
four
giant
walkways
and
an
observation
tower.
Each
of
the
arches
underpinning
the
structure
will
therefore
have
to
support
a
weight
of
over
20,000
pounds
of
material
exposed
to
air
displacements,
which
will
necessitate
major
coordination
work
between
the
various
parties
involved.
Of
course
special
attention
will
also
have
to
be
paid
to
handling
and
delivering
this
huge
steel
structure,
whose
components
will
be
fabricated
at
our
two
plants
in
Terrebonne
and
Lachine.
What’s
more,
the
structural
steel
will
be
entirely
visible
from
the
inside
and,
so
to
speak,
an
integral
part
of
the
display.
As
such
a
top-quality
execution
will
be
required,
demanding
not
only
the
greatest
accuracy,
but
also
impeccable
finishing
from
an
esthetic
standpoint,
right
down
to
the
last
weld.
It
goes
without
saying
that
this
impressive
piece
of
work,
which
will
be
seen
by
some
four
million
visitors
a
year,
will
provide
ADF
with
great
exposure
and
attract
the
attention
of
hundreds
of
architects,
engineers,
general
contractors
and
project
owners.”

For
his
part,
Jean
Paschini,
Chairman
of
the
Board
and
Chief
Executive
Officer,
stated
that
this
contract
adds
to
ADF’s
impressive
track
record
in
carrying
out
prestigious,
architecturally
complex
building
projects,
notably
museums.
“The
prime
contractor
was
looking
for
a
partner
with
a
proven
reputation
in
this
sector,
capable
of
delivering
a
turnkey
solution,
and
sharing
its
entrepreneurial
culture.
It
chose
ADF,
especially
since
the
major
expansion
we
have
just
completed
at
our
Terrebonne
plant
has
further
consolidated
our
ability
to
handle
projects
of
this
size
and
complexity.”

ADF,
which
is
currently
at
the
engineering
stage,
will
start
the
fabrication
in
July
and
the
on-site
work
as
soon
as
November
2001.
Besides
the
main
hangar
and
the
observation
tower,
Phase
I
of
the
museum
will
include
an
education
centre,
a
giant-screen
theatre,
a
visitor
orientation
centre,
a
food
court
and
various
shops.
Phase
II
will
involve
adding
a
hangar
to
showcase
space
vehicles
including
the
space
shuttle
Enterprise,
and
related
facilities
such
as
an
archives
centre
and
a
study
collection
wing.

Profile

ADF
Group
Inc.
is
a
North
American
leader
in
the
design,
engineering,
fabrication
and
erection
of
complex
steel
superstructures
as
well
as
in
architectural
metal
work.
The
Company
also
incorporates
various
related
services
that
enable
it
to
provide
customers
with
value-added
turnkey
solutions
at
a
competitive
price.
Employing
close
to
1,400
people,
ADF
is
one
of
the
few
players
in
the
industry
capable
of
handling
highly
technically
complex
megaprojects
on
fast-track
schedules
in
the
commercial,
institutional,
industrial
and
public
sectors.

Contact:

ADF Group Inc.

Kathleen Ryffranck

Public Relations Coordination

(450) 965-1911

SpaceRef staff editor.