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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity Names Timmons Group as Engineer of Record

Richmond, VA – July 15, 2008 – Timmons Group, an ENR 500 Design Firm and a leader in multi-discipline civil engineering consulting services, announced today that the firm has been awarded a contract to provide the Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity (RMHFH) engineering services.  Jonathan Jackson, PE, a Senior Project Manager within the firm’s Residential sector, has been managing this contract and working with Leisha LaRiviere, the executive director of Richmond Habitat, and Lin Gregory, Director of Construction Services for RMHFH, to help the non-profit housing provider achieve their vision.  Richmond Habitat creates strong communities by building simple, decent homes that low-income partner families can afford to buy through zero interest mortgages the non-profit provides.

Recognizing Central Virginia’s rapidly increasing need for affordable housing, as well as the rising costs of land acquisition, the Board of Directors and staff of Richmond Habitat have set out to create a fresh approach for the organization. The single-family, single-lot homes that have been the mainstay of Habitat design are no longer the primary focus for housing in Greater Richmond.  A refined business strategy addresses both high land acquisition cost, and the critical need for affordable and workforce housing affecting the region. Public/private partnerships and governmental input on development plans feature a new portfolio of RMHFH designs, including: mixed-income and mixed-use communities, “rehabs”, and multi-family construction.

In 2006, Richmond Habitat became the first Virginia affiliate to build a certified Energy Star home.  Additionally, Richmond Habitat became accredited as an EarthCraft builder.  Both certifications will serve as a model for future plans and considerations, to include:  low-impact building methods, environmentally-friendly materials use, and energy-efficient systems.  RMHFH’s strategic changes align well with Timmons Group’s core competencies as well as our desire to offer LEED alternatives to our “green” clients.

Richmond Habitat is partnering with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Timmons Group to develop guidelines and criteria for the site planning, design and construction of affordable & sustainable homes that are low maintenance, environmentally friendly, and cost efficient for its homeowners. Timmons Group engineers and more than 30 architects and designers participated in the first sustainable design charrette, presented by the AIA’s Richmond Committee on the Environment (COTE) and Richmond Habitat at Baskervil Architects in April 2008. The purpose of the charrette was to evaluate house plans and green building strategies for RMHFH’s newest neighborhood development, The Pillars at Oakmont. The new mixed-income community, located at T Street and 33rd Street in the city’s Church Hill area, will feature 11 townhomes and four duplexes. The development represents RMHFH’s first foray into building attached residential units.

Since January, Timmons Group has been helping RMHFH with numerous projects located in the City of Richmond and Chesterfield, Henrico, New Kent and Charles City counties involving: construction administration, construction staking, environmental services, topographic and boundary surveys, rezoning assistance, tentative plats and construction documents.  “Designing sites for RMHFH is both professionally and personally rewarding,” said Jackson. “The staff at Richmond Habitat has been wonderful to work with and I look forward to helping them on many projects in the future.”

If you are interested in learning more about RMHFH or volunteering locally, visit their website at www.richmondhabitat.org.
 
About Timmons Group
Timmons Group is an ENR 500 multi-disciplined professional services firm and a leading provider of civil engineering, environmental services, GIS and Geospatial technology services, geotechnical engineering, construction management, landscape architecture and land surveying.  The firm’s subject-matter experts deliver a wide-range of specialties including site development design & engineering, transportation engineering and highway design, water and wastewater facilities design, land and community planning, traditional neighborhood design, stormwater management, LEED® and sustainable design and urban planning to both public and private clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. The firm employs more than 350 people and has corporate headquarters in Richmond, Virginia, and regional offices in Virginia Beach, Virginia; Charlottesville, Virginia; Prince George, Virginia; Ashburn, Virginia; Greensboro, North Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina.

For more information about Timmons Group, visit www.timmons.com.

Media contact:
Tim Asimos, Marketing Manager
Timmons Group
804.200.6375
tim.asimos@timmons.com

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