Team delivered turnkey design, engineering and construction for 400,000-square-foot Blue Origin rocket engine manufacturing facility in just 10 months

The Blue Origin Engine Facility project in Huntsville, AL has been selected as 2020’s Best of the Best by ENR in the manufacturing category. The annual competition honors construction and design excellence among projects completed in the past year.

Situated on 46 acres, the 400,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, a striking addition to Cummins Research Park, houses the tooling, equipment and operations required to manufacture Blue Origin’s next generation rocket engines. The facility encloses more than 300,000-square-feet of fabrication and manufacturing space and just under 100,000-square-feet of Class-A engineering, collaboration and administrative office area. Clayco and design subsidiary Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC) delivered turnkey design, engineering and construction of the liquid-fueled rocket engine manufacturing facility in just 10 months. This state-of-the-art facility will play a critical role in furthering United States space exploration.

“The project moved with the speed, agility and accuracy that Blue Origin needed to make this state-of- the-art manufacturing facility a reality,” said Bob Smith, CEO of Blue Origin. “Through this investment and others, we have made the Rocket City our home for engine production and testing. It also means that, when we see a lift-off of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan or Blue Origin’s New Glenn, we can point to this facility and truly say that these next generation launch vehicles are Powered by Huntsville.”

“We are very humbled to receive such a noteworthy accolade from ENR and the top minds in the construction and design industry,” said Anthony Johnson, President of Clayco’s Industrial Business Unit. “The Blue Origin Engine Plant is truly a world class facility, and plays a significant role in American space travel and national security. WMB-ROI, Clayco and LJC are honored to bring this career-making project to life for Blue Origin. The high level of collaboration and partnership involved was second to none to make this aspirational project a reality for our client.”

In the Best of the Best program, winners from each of the 10 regions compete against one another in each category for national honors. Nearly 900 projects were entered in the regional competition this year, and this project was among one of 20 selected as a Best of the Best.