/in , /by

The Petersburg City Courthouse, which is currently under construction, is planned as an approximately 80,000-square-foot facility.  It will be located in the historic city of Petersburg, Virginia. Designed to be a respectful neighbor to the existing historic courthouse, the new building will rise three stories and house the General District Court, Circuit Court, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and a large Jury Assembly Room, plus all associated judges chambers and departmental operations.

Currently, these court functions are dispersed across multiple aging buildings throughout the city. The new courthouse will consolidate all departments into a single, modern facility, allowing the city to retire many outdated structures while improving operational efficiency. The courthouse will also include a full sheriff’s department, ensuring comprehensive judicial and public safety services are available in one centralized location.

This project has been collaboratively designed by SSOE (design architect/project engineering) and CPL Architects & Engineers (architect of record).

/in , , /by

SSOE partnered with Cipla on a comprehensive facility renovation and expansion to deliver a new inhalant medication manufacturing and packaging capacity. The project replaced an existing, undersized filling line with two new manufacturing suites capable of running simultaneous production and a new high-capacity filling line.

Manufacturing and filling areas were designed as ISO 8 cleanrooms within a cGMP framework, with secondary packaging and warehouse spaces planned as Controlled Non-Classified (CNC) environments. To accommodate increased raw materials and finished goods, the warehouse were expanded, and a new branded public entrance was designed to elevate the customer and employee experience. The extensive interior site clearance of existing areas also provided an opportunity to optimize the personnel and material flows for the entire facility. Other improvements included new gowning rooms, restrooms, and an administrative expansion.

The project also featured complete utility modernization including new chiller and air handling systems and updated electrical service, fire protection, security, and IT infrastructure to support the expanded operation. A dedicated propellant tank farm was installed to support the renovation.

From project initiation, our team led user group meetings to establish a program of spaces, adjacencies, and the final design of the diverse project components. We worked with the Owner’s India-based equipment manufacturers to locate and size the manufacturing, filling, and packaging spaces.

SSOE provided architectural, process, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, and civil engineering for the project.

/in , /by

Viridi Parente is a developer of innovative battery technology that can be safely installed and operated in nearly any environment or location. The project increases the space on their 42-acre green tech campus to meet robust demand for its safe battery technology solutions. The company is working with Alberici Constructors to add 60,000 SF, expanding its total research lab, assembly, office, and production space to 180,000 SF. The expansion also integrates automation features, such as robotic welding technology and a vertical lift management system throughout the manufacturing space.

Located in a plant that was originally built by General Motors in 1923, Viridi Parente bought the plant in 2008 and renovated it to meet their needs and to better align the plant’s power usage with Viridi Parente’s goals of producing products with sustainable energy.

SSOE partnered with Alberici to provide mechanical, structural, electrical, data / fire / security, as well as fire protection engineering services on this project because of our specialized lithium-ion battery plant design expertise. Our team worked together with the client and Alberici to provide design solutions that are both sustainable and cost-effective. The newly expanded spaces include 30,000 SF for lab and assembly space and an additional 30,000 SF for increase shipping and receiving capacity. Prior to the expansion, the company occupied 120,000 SF of the campus facility with 60,000 SF of battery and machine assembly space featuring automotive-grade QA/QC, a fully integrated assembly process. It also included 20,000 SF of office and lab space, including a dedicated state-of-the-art battery testing lab for life cycle cell and module testing, thermal testing, and R&D as well as 40,000 SF shipping and receiving warehouse.

/in , /by

Encompass Health commissioned SSOE to develop a design to replace the 50+ year old 96-bed rehabilitation hospital located in Toms River, New Jersey. Encompass Health wanted to keep the new facility in the same area as the existing hospital, however, there was no land available to design and construct a completely new replacement hospital nearby. As a result, SSOE developed a plan to replace the hospital on the existing campus, through renovation and additions.

The new hospital has 98 rehabilitation beds with approximately 53,141 SF of new construction and 32,600 SF of renovation. The design / construction documents were developed to allow the hospital to remain fully functional and to continue serving patients during the construction of the new hospital.

The project was built in four phases. Each phase required approximately nine to 10 months to complete. Phase I was completed and opened in November of 2017. Phase II was completed in June 2020. Estimated total construction cost for all phases of this project is $27 million.

/in , /by

$8,674,275 in documented project savings realized through a reduction in schedule and demolition costs, as well as a number of design modifications.

Recognizing the poor condition of the existing, 50-year-old, -40 degrees F freezer, the client had a decision to make. Due to quality concerns, the client chose to replace the freezer and reached out to SSOE to provide a complete project solution.

Laser scanning was employed to capture an accurate baseline for the design. The resulting scan was then used to confirm discrepancies in the client’s 2D layout that would have been detrimental to the project if gone undetected. Next, a 3D model was developed to ensure the freezer and associated equipment would fit into the building envelope. Finally, the corrected plant layout was integrated with the freezer and conveyor layouts to perform clash detection.

SSOE’s solution involved the complete demolition of both the freezer and corresponding penthouse. As the freezer was located in the center of the plant, special considerations were taken to complete the project without disrupting operations. TuffWrap was installed to provide an airtight separation from the remainder of the plant, allowing the use of diesel equipment within an operating food plant.

Schedule concerns posed a major challenge for SSOE’s team. A study provided by the client indicated that removing the penthouse would make the project approximately 23 weeks long. As such, the client was experiencing furlough issues with employees and needed the work completed in 13 weeks. SSOE worked to compress its base schedule of 18 weeks down to 13 weeks. This was accomplished through the combination of requiring two shifts (day and night) and overtime construction. Schedule coordination was crucial to the success of this project.

/in , , /by

Reduced furnace emissions by converting to oxy-fuel.

When a glass bottle manufacturer wanted to upgrade its furnace and get ahead of potential EPA emissions mandates, it turned to SSOE to define the detailed engineering and construction requirements for the project.

The client had conducted an initial assessment on its own, but wanted to confirm it had considered all aspects of the expansion of its processing facility. They needed to present their stakeholders with accurate estimates for funding approval of the furnace modification. Noting that the EPA was intending to mandate new emissions regulations, the client also wanted to upgrade to a system with lower emissions. As a result, SSOE provided the detailed engineering and construction requirements to convert the furnace to oxy-fuel. After conducting an assessment and outlining the scope of work involved to improve the furnace system, SSOE provided preliminary costs for engineering and construction, as well as procurement of all necessary equipment.

During the planning process, SSOE needed to consider several issues including the relocation of fire lines and a water shed that could not be infringed upon. We also recommended a new electrical power substation for the upgraded oxygen furnace.

/in , /by

Designed the cullet handling system, which recycles 90% of the manufactured glass.

Emhart Glass, a major equipment supplier for the glass container manufacturing industry, wanted to build their own Reasearch and Development (R&D) center for their container forming and testing equipment. The company previously relied on their clients’ facilities to test equipment, which often meant delays in schedule. Emhart called upon SSOE’s glass manufacturing expertise to design the process systems for the plant.

The unique center includes an actual glass manufacturing plant and quality control laboratories. SSOE developed the building layout and coordinated with a local architect. SSOE designed the complete layout of the center’s batch house, melting furnace, and process equipment. In addition, we worked with Nikolaus SORG GmbH & Co KG on the furnace integration. Our engineers also designed the hot and cold cullet handling system, recycling 90% of the manufactured glass to the batch house.

Other responsibilities included designing the installation of a new IS machine, designing the furnace exhaust system, and coordinating with the utility company to determine proper electrical loads.

“SSOE conducted their work with the high level of expertise and professionalism necessary to enable the plant to become operational 12 months from project approval by our parent company Bucher Industries,” said Steven Pinkerton, Project Manager for Emhart Glass.

/in , , , , , /by

SSOE was awarded a nationwide, five-year IDIQ contract for A/E services related to master planning for over 12 million SF of the EPA’s environmental and analytical laboratory and support facilities. This included coordination with EPA program and regional offices to incorporate their missions and strategic goals into specific master plans.

SSOE has completed the following tasks for the EPA:

Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina
The RTP EPA Research and Administration Facility consists of approximately 1.4 million SF of laboratory, vivarium, office, and special use space.

SSOE has performed the following tasks at this site:

  • Facility master plan
  • Programming and planning to relocate the EPA Division now located off-site into the RTP facility
  • Energy reduction strategies
  • Evaluation of sustainability opportunities

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
SSOE completed an engineering study to provide recommendations for energy reduction strategies and HVAC improvements.

Narragansett, Rhode Island; Athens, Georgia; and Corvallis, Oregon
SSOE provided master planning services to address the renovation of the existing 40 year-old laboratory buildings, strategies to meet/exceed EPAct and EISA criteria, and a “green” strategy for restructuring the site.

Las Vegas, Nevada
SSOE developed a POR and Design Intent documents for a new two-story, 40,000 SF leased laboratory / office building. This building will house the offices and laboratories of the EPA’s Radiation and Indoor Environments National Laboratory currently located at the University of Las Vegas.

Houston, Texas
SSOE developed the POR for a new EPA Region 6 build-to-suit 10 acre campus, including a 90,000 SF laboratory building and support facilities.

Edison, New Jersey
SSOE developed a POR for a new 400,000 SF, state-of-the-art Environmental Science Center. The new facility consolidates the Edison EPA’s program into one building, replacing the aging, inadequate existing facilities.

Fort Meade, Maryland
SSOE completed a conceptual design for modifications of the EPA Environmental Science Center to allow for chemical warfare agents testing as requested by the Department of Homeland Security.

Contact Us

Have a question regarding our services? Need assistance with an upcoming project? Send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you and will follow up soon.

Contact Us

Our Services

© SSOE GROUP 1948-2026
Legal | Privacy Policy | CA Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

Employee Portal
Vendors / Subcontractor

Website designed and developed by
Raincastle Communications, Inc.