The Electrical Alliance

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Member Project Highlights

Heller Electric Brings the Duke Ellington School Up to New Standards

The Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts located in Washington, D.C. is a world-renowned training center for aspiring artists and performers in the theatrical arts. The school alumni, in addition to “Sir Duke”, include comedian Dave Chapelle and many other nationally known performers.

Constructed in 1898 as Western High School, the building had seen better days. Washington, D.C. officials recognized the importance of bringing the school up to today’s standards, in terms of student safety and comfort, while providing the city’s young talent with a state-of-the-art training and performance center.

The recently completed mega-renovation and reconstruction of the Ellington school began in 2014. From the beginning, the project presented a number of challenges to the construction team, including joining the east and west wings of the existing building with a beautifully designed central “egg” that ties together the building in a number of dramatic and artistically pleasing ways.

The “egg” is a shell for a new 800 seat theater that includes an orchestra pit and lift, stage trap, lighting, catwalks, 258 speakers and a high-performance acoustic sampling system.

Heller Electric, a member of the Washington DC chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, accepted the challenge to bring the school’s existing electrical, lighting, and AV systems up to a new standard for school construction. A challenge made more difficult by working with both old and new construction.

Duke Ellington School for the Arts, ENR Best Project of the Year by Heller Electric
Duke Ellington School for the Arts, ENR Best Project of the Year by Heller Electric

Jason Clurman, vice president at Heller Electric, shared some of the challenges involved in bringing the school into the 21st century. Chief among them was working with a changing design while coordinating with many other players to accomplish this truly unique and remarkable design. In addition, tolerances for the installation of the electrical infrastructure left no room for error with less than one inch of 3-dimensional play on all of the rough-ins for the sound support systems, in the main theater. There are approximately 240 miles of branch circuits, 20 miles of feeder cable and a total of 258 speakers with supporting acoustic sampling microphones in the main performance area. In addition, two new 4000-amp services had to be brought in to the building.

“Sir Duke” would surely approve of this beautiful blend of old and new – a building that honors the school’s past, while providing today’s students with a bright future.

DC Fast Charging Stations are Full Speed Ahead in Washington, D.C.

Electrical Alliance contractor installs first DC Fast Charger on East Coast

DC Fast Charging Stations are bringing more convenience to electric car owners in the Washington, D.C. area thanks to an Electrical Alliance contractor.

ABM Electrical Power Solutions (ABM) is working with eVgo to install DC Fast Charging Stations throughout metropolitan Washington, D.C. DC Fast Chargers add about 50 to 60 miles of range to an electric vehicle in approximately 20 minutes. This is much faster than standard chargers. For normal charging (3 kW), it can take six to eight hours to fully charge. With a Level 2 240-Volt charging station, it can add about 20-30 miles of range in one hour. The company is the only electrical contractor in the area performing this type of installation and was the first to install a DC Fast Charger on the East Coast.

A Presidential Inauguration Calls for the Quality Work of an Electrical Alliance Contractor

Heller Electric installs power for the 11th consecutive ceremony

A job as prestigious at the Presidential Inauguration calls for the work of an Electrical Alliance Contractor, and Heller Electric Company, Inc. (Heller) was happy to oblige for the 11th consecutive time.

Heller began work on the 57th Presidential Inauguration immediately following the 2012 election. The installation included three separate structures for the ceremony: the Presidential Reviewing Stand, Media Stand, and Mayoral Parade Reviewing Stand.

Maryland Governor Visits High-Tech High School to Promote Education Initiatives

JATC donated and installed photovoltaic (PV) system at high school to provide solar energy to the school and serve as an educational tool

The Electrical Alliance has tapped into its electrical expertise to support Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s education initiatives.

The Washington, D.C. Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) donated and installed a PV system at North Point High School in Waldorf, Md. Gov. O’Malley recently visited North Point to promote two education initiatives he proposed in this year’s budget, seeking a high-tech future of education and career readiness.

Electrical Alliance Contractor Works on Metropolitan Washington, D.C.’s Tallest LEED Office Building

The new commercial building at 1812 North Moore Street in Arlington, Va. is 30 feet higher than a football field is long, making it the Washington, D.C. area’s tallest LEED-registered commercial building.

The electrical work on this office project is being performed by Electrical Alliance contractor Dynalectric Company. By working on this LEED building and multiple others, Electrical Alliance contractors are helping the metropolitan area attain the goal of leading the U.S. in LEED-certified buildings. Washington, D.C. tops the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) national ratings, with Virginia and Maryland close behind in the ratings, placing fourth and sixth respectively.