Peter Brown, a division of Moss & Associates, completes FSU Honors, Scholars and Fellows House

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - March 4, 2014 - PRLog -- Peter Brown Construction (http://www.peterbrownconstruction.com/), a division of Moss & Associates (http://www.mosscm.com/), has completed Florida State University's new Honors, Scholars and Fellows House, which will have its formal dedication 11 a.m. Thursday, March 6.

The four-story, 37,000-square-foot annex in the heart of the FSU campus is designed to create an academically inspiring setting and promote intellectual exchange among honors undergraduates, graduate students and graduate fellows.

The Honors, Scholars and Fellows House, also known as the Johnston Building Annex, was completed in 15 months at a cost of $15.6 million. It faces Landis Green, near the newly renovated William Johnston Building, originally built in the early 1900s in the Jacobean architectural style prevalent on the FSU campus.

Peter Brown, as construction manager, completed the $38-million renovation of the William Johnston Building in 2011, modernizing the interior, bringing it up to code, and expanding the structure to 145,000 square feet.

The Johnston Building is certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council, and the Honors, Scholars and Fellows House is pre-certified LEED Gold.

The Honors, Scholars and Fellows House is a signature project of FSU President Dr. Eric Barron, who has stressed stronger academics and research in his four-year tenure.

The first floor of the annex has been open to the general student population since September, with two restaurants, a convenience store, and areas for socializing and study. While the first floor was occupied, Peter Brown finished construction on the upper floors, receiving a certificate of occupancy in January.  These upper floors bring together honors undergraduate students with graduate students and fellows to foster intellectual exchange and collaboration.

"This is all about the academics, and is part of the university's push to be one of the top 25 public research institutions in the country," said Brad Will, vice president of Peter Brown Construction.

Keeping the building on schedule while minimizing disruption to campus life posed unique challenges in the midst of a busy campus of more than 40,000 students. The Honors, Scholars and Fellows House was completed in five different phases to stay within funding constraints. Crews paved a new roadway in the front, with new sidewalks and landscaping. The project was completed within budget, and FSU gave the project team a rating of "outstanding."

Peter Brown has a 15-year history building FSU projects, among them the $13-million renovation of the 1938-vintage Montgomery Hall, the $15-million Parking Garage No. 6 on the Tallahassee campus, and the $24-million FSU Academic Center in Panama City.

About Peter Brown and Moss & Associates: In August 2013, Peter R. Brown Construction was acquired by Moss & Associates (www.mosscm.com), a privately-held construction firm headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Moss focuses on construction management at-risk, design-build and public-private partnerships in the Southeast United States and is also an innovative leader in certain vertical markets in the Western Hemisphere. Moss prides itself on a strong entrepreneurial culture that honors safety, quality, client engagement and employee development. Its employees consistently rank Moss as one of the best places to work for career satisfaction.