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January 7, 2005 Construction projects aren’t all that’s in store
for 2005
This year marks the halfway point through the new decade. In just five short years the construction market has gone from the highest possible peaks to the lowest possible valleys. Fortunately, 2005 appears that it will be greeted with some stability. Perhaps the most visible slump in the construction industry was that felt in the tenant fit-out arena. However, the opportunities for tenant fit-out work are improving. Lee Kennedy Co., Inc. is performing a phased stairwell renovation for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company at 175 Berkeley St. in Boston. The project started at the end of 2004 and will run through the end of 2005. On the suburban front, Lee Kennedy Co., Inc. will start a 64,000 square foot project for Airvana in Chelmsford, MA this month, slated for completion in March. The high-rolling days that depicted the beginning of the decade haven’t returned, but there is significantly more work on the horizon in 2005 than in the last couple of years. Preconstruction services and program management for academic and institutional projects continue to be areas of growth. Looking at 2005, Lee Kennedy Co. is providing services for Tufts University, Colby College in Maine, the Conway School District in New Hampshire, and Green Mountain Senior Living in Vermont. The projects range in size from $6,000,000 – $44,000,000. Owners’ increased demand for these services marks a trend in the increased complexity of new buildings. Owners are becoming much more aware of the importance of environmental design, for example, and find such services a necessity when it comes to achieving LEEDs certification for their new buildings. Construction for the academic market has been a constant staple for Lee Kennedy Co. and the trend is anticipated to continue through 2005. The start of the New Year will mark the completion of the Atwater Commons dormitories and dining hall at Middlebury College. Construction of the 80,000 square foot Beatley Library at Simmons College will continue through 2005. One project that characterizes Lee Kennedy Co.’s work for academic clients is the new addition at Boston College High School. The addition, designed by Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, is scheduled for completion in April. It is the largest construction project in the School’s 140-year history. The structure will create a new campus crossroads, connecting separated school buildings and becoming a hub for daily student life. The space will boast a 5,000 square foot student commons atrium, a 650-seat cafeteria, a guidance center, a bookstore and a campus ministry center. Furthermore, the addition will house 4 state-of-the-art science labs; 22 more classrooms—all of which are equipped with presentation systems, high speed data and multimedia capability; 3 computer labs; new administrative offices and an admissions suite. The end product will be a facility for the student of tomorrow. Student involvement in the project has been a top priority. A construction site on campus is a valuable “real life” educational exhibit unfolding before students in “real time.” Tsoi/Kobus & Associates addressed students last spring at a “brown bag” lunch to explain the design process, and Lee Kennedy Co., Inc. did the same this past fall to explain the construction process. At the addition’s “topping off” last May, students were on hand to take part in the events. They inscribed their signatures on the last steel beam to be hoisted into the structure and were addressed by members of the design and construction team as well as members of the school’s faculty, administration and student body. Although students won’t occupy the addition until February, the project has enhanced the students’ education since its start at the end of 2003. Student involvement in construction projects such as this can have profound effects on the future of the building and design professions. Increased interaction with students throughout the building process is certainly a foreseeable trend this year and in the years to come. Difficult as it may be to surpass a year that bestowed upon Boston
a Super Bowl and a World Series trophy, the outlook for 2005 looks
promising, at least for the construction industry. Sports might
be a different story. << back
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