DBIANE Award Competition 2019: Erland Construction – New England Business Center Amenities Building, Andover, MA

Project Name: New England Business Center Amenities Building, Andover, MA
Owner Name: Andover MCB, LLC & Eastport Real Estate Services
Contractor: Erland Construction
Photo Credit: Robert Benson Photography

This new 17,800sf, 2-story amenity building is centrally located within the New England Business Center (NEBC) and features a modern café with indoor and outdoor seating and meeting space, as well as a state-of-the-art fitness center and locker rooms. It was built to create a more vibrant workplace environment for the six companies that inhabit the park. The construction of a pedestrian footbridge was also incorporated into the project’s scope to ensure accessibility to the new building. By improving the tenant experience with these exceptional amenities, Eastport Real Estate Services was able to increase NEBC’s occupancy, retention, and long-term value.

The existing site was cleared for this out-of-the-ground construction project. The first challenge arose when preparing for foundations. Due to a high water table, the entire site needed to be raised to avoid any complications. Another challenge came with the discovery of a sewer line that ran under the footing of the new building. This relocation was completed prior to foundations and done during off-hours to minimize impact to the existing tenants.

Extensive coordination with our in-house team and the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) was required given the proximity of the jobsite to one of the active office buildings. The project team worked closely with the park’s facilities team to maintain access and minimize disruption to the abutting building. At the start of construction, when the site was assessed, we learned that the electrical service for the neighboring office building ran directly under the jobsite. A series of studies were performed to serve as a benchmark for sitework and foundations to be safely performed.