For immediate release

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL (May 2009) — On the heels of building Crate and Barrel’s flagship Canadian store in Toronto, Graycor Construction Company Inc. recently began a new project to build a home store for the retailer in Hallandale Beach, Fla. The project, which began in early March 2009 and is expected to be completed in mid-November 2009, is being performed utilizing building information modeling (BIM) software technology. The three-dimensional, synchronized and dynamic building modeling system generates and manages the building data throughout the project’s duration.

“By using a dynamic model of the structural design on this project, BIM has enabled the project team – the client, design firm and general contractor – to work collaboratively, effectively and efficiently,” said Dave Wing, senior vice president and general manager, Graycor Construction. “With BIM, the project’s building design and construction are better performed due to increased productivity,” he added.

The new two-story, 35,000-square-foot Crate and Barrel store, located approximately 18 miles north of Miami, will house approximately 22,230 square feet of retail space, 2,120 square feet for storage and an 8,750-square-foot, second-floor overhang for stockroom and office space. The store’s façade combines a variety of material finishes including a stained thin-brick panel system, corrugated metal panels, aluminum composite metal panels and an impact-resistant curtain wall. Crate and Barrel’s signature interior ambiance is created using cedar, pine, corrugated panels, zinc panels, maple flooring, integrally colored concrete and glass fiber-reinforced gypsum. The project also includes constructing an adjacent 6,588-square-foot vacant space.

The scope of work includes constructing a complete core- and-shell and an interior build-out, as well as hardscape and landscape.

“Because this store is located near the ocean in a high-velocity hurricane zone [HVHZ], it poses a unique set of challenges,” said Jyot Parmar, project manager, Graycor Construction. Each system and assembly in the core-and-shell portion of the design requires a Notice Of Acceptance (NOA) from the Miami-Dade County to meet the wind pressure requirements of Florida’s building code. This was especially challenging during the preconstruction/value engineering phase due to the fact that some of the materials, such as the thin brick system, as it is normally designed, did not have an NOA. “Graycor assisted the team in designing an acceptable assembly by working closely with the manufacturer and supplier of the thin brick panel system to analyze requirements and help the team understand trade-offs of using this system,” Parmar added. As a result, the team achieved design goals under budget.

Work on this project is being performed from Graycor Construction’s Tampa location, led by Al Carr, senior project manager and 35-year veteran of the Florida construction industry. “Al’s extensive experience with Florida’s building codes including high-velocity hurricane zones, enabled us to provide Crate and Barrel with market-specific preconstruction services,” said Wing.

Graycor’s relationship with Crate and Barrel spans more than a decade and includes 25-plus projects in 12 states, coast-to-coast, and in Canada.

About Graycor Construction Company Inc.

For five decades, Graycor Construction Company Inc. (Graycor Construction), has been a leader in managing and constructing mid- to large-scale commercial projects across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The company has earned a reputation for its ability to develop intimate knowledge of its clients’ project needs and to translate that knowledge into consistently and successfully completing renovation and ground-up projects coast to coast. From pre-construction planning through final project delivery, Graycor Construction’s management team utilizes its extensive knowledge of commercial markets to deliver real value across the board on each and every project. Graycor Construction serves a select group of clients across a full spectrum of commercial markets across North America.

About the Graycor Companies

The Graycor companies – Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc., Graycor Construction Company Inc., Graycor Blasting Company Inc., and Graycor International – provide a wide variety of industrial and commercial construction services, as well as industrial maintenance technologies, across North America. As a top ranking industry leader, Graycor commits to safe working environments, demands excellence and rewards passion. Established in 1921, Graycor employs more than 1,500 construction specialists at the Chicago headquarters, regional offices and project locations across the United States, Canada and Mexico. For more information on the Graycor family of companies, visit www.graycor.com or call 1-800-455-0440.