The new construction of the Panther Pride Self Storage facility in Dumfries, Virginia involved a competitive bid process between four local general contractors.  R.W. Murray Co. was invited into the bidding process due to our experience and knowledge in the self storage industry.  We were awarded the project based off our total price, construction schedule, knowledge of the industry and our reputation for consistent quality and customer service.  Panther Pride Self Storage is a three-story, 100,180 SF concrete and structural steel base building.  The exterior facade features a combination of masonry, EIFS, and metal panels.  The facility contains 732 storage units in addition to an office and an employee breakroom.

One of the most interesting features of this project is the structural steel, which is a unique patented SS-20 Building Systems, Inc. design.  The SS-20 system consists of steel tube columns running vertically from floor to floor, with each column stacking into the column beneath it.  This allows the steel to be free standing with no bolts protruding through the upper-level slabs.  Additionally, to take advantage of the slope on-site, the three-story building was terraced into the hill.  This resulted in substantial savings on the earth work and eliminated the need for a second egress stair and elevator.

The construction was placed on an accelerated schedule with an estimated completion time of early spring in order for the end user, CubeSmart, to begin early rentals of the storage units.  Pre-construction meetings and bi-weekly subcontractor meetings were held to ensure all trades, and parties were meeting their dates and deliverables.  Working through the volatile winter months, the project was completed in just over eight months, an impressive four weeks ahead of schedule, and was delivered to our client in mid-March.  our experience and knowledge of the self storage industry and careful schedule monitoring aided us in accelerating the project schedule in ensuring the construction ran smoothly for all parties involved.