BUC-EE'S

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

This project involved the construction of the 69th Buc-ee's location nationwide, and notably, the first in the state of Virginia—making it a high-profile, flagship development. The site will serve as a major travel and tourist destination along the I-81 corridor.

Key features include:

• 74,000 square feet of building space
• 120 fuel pumps and 24 EV charging stations
• 54 tilt-wall panels with EIFS details

All panels cast on exterior beds, not on the slab, preserving slab cleanliness. Accelerated schedule: 20 days to form and pour all panels, and only 4 days to stand them. This build had significant public attention, with Governor Glenn Youngkin attending the ceremonial groundbreaking, underscoring its importance to the region.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project?

Tragically, during the course of the project, we lost one of our senior superintendents in a car accident. Having led many successful tilt-up projects, Adam Terrell was a deeply respected leader and a driving force during the early and most demanding phases of construction. His commitment to excellence, attention to detail, and ability to keep operations running smoothly under pressure were instrumental in setting the tone for success on this job. The team carried forward his vision and dedication throughout the remainder of the project. Through strong leadership, excellent communication, and a shared commitment across multiple crews and superintendents, the project progressed even in the face of unforeseen challenges. We would be grateful to present this award to Adam's family and team members who miss him dearly.

Other project constraints was that no panels could be cast directly on the slab—this required the construction of exterior casting beds around the building, which were later demolished. While this added complexity, it helped preserve the slab's condition and allowed for a cleaner finish. The accelerated timeline added pressure, as multiple trades were working simultaneously. While panels were being formed, fuel canopy construction and underground fuel system installation were underway. This required precise coordination, especially with concrete truck scheduling and site access management.

Please communicate any engineering complexities or unique features of the panel design for this project?

A few unique engineering aspects included exterior “dead men” footings were used to brace the panels. Panels were bearing on a concrete stem wall rather than directly on a footing. In some parts of the building a cast in place curb was poured against the exterior of the panel to stabilize the bottom of the panel. The interior of the bottom of the panels had a structural connection to an embedded angle in the slab edge rather than standard panel to footing connections. These structural design features are pretty unique to BUC-EE'S projects. The design team was not open to simplifying the design to more standard connections.