Gilbane Building honored by AGC for Concord Hospital expansion/addition project

The Associated General Contractors of New Hampshire recently honored Gilbane's northern New England office with a Build New Hampshire Award for the Concord Hospital east & north wings project. The project received the Best Environmental Building Project Award, based on criteria including commitment to sustainability, including recycling/waste management, energy efficiency, and other innovative techniques related to sustainability. "Gilbane has had a long-time relationship with Concord Hospital, and this award is a wonderful testament of the accomplishments that can be achieved through teamwork," said Paul Choquette, III, Gilbane's northern New England area manager. "We are extraordinarily proud of our team's participation in this project, and the sustainability-related achievements of the team." Gilbane provided preconstruction and construction management services for the expansion, designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson Abbott (SBRA). The project doubles the capacity of New Hampshire's busiest emergency department with construction of two additions, a six-story east wing and a three-story north wing. With 167,000 s/f of new construction and 30,000 s/f of renovations, the project added flexibility and much needed space. Construction challenges were significant, and included a tight budget, no on-site parking and work adjacent to the busiest emergency department in the state of New Hampshire. The project was the first hospital project in the state of New Hampshire to pursue LEED certification. Sustainable elements such as use of locally manufactured materials, and construction waste diversion of more than 90% contributed significantly to the project's overall sustainability. A major feature of the new facility are two green roof gardens. Green roof healing gardens have been shown to help speed recovery by giving patients exposure to the natural environment. In addition to the healing aspects, the green roof works to avoid a potential heat sink on the roof, as well as mitigate rain runoff from the building. Additional sustainable aspects included use of extensive natural lighting, native plantings and permeable surfaces, which reduce storm water impact and minimize heat islands. "Building sustainably is part of how we do business," said Daniel McConaghy, senior vice president, regional manager. "It's the right thing to do, and we are excited to work with clients like Concord Hospital who want to take it to the next level." Gilbane's northern New England office currently employs 60 employees who deliver a full range of preconstruction, construction and program management services to public, commercial, and institutional clients in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. Gilbane's northern New England district has managed construction projects for many respected organizations including the University of New Hampshire, Mercy Hospital, Nashua Schools, and Dartmouth College, among others. Recently named to FORTUNE Magazine's 100 Best Companies in America to Work For, Gilbane is a full-service construction and real estate development company comprised of Gilbane Building Company and Gilbane Development Company. The company is one of the nation's largest construction and program managers providing a full slate of facilities-related services for clients in the educational, healthcare, life sciences, mission-critical, corporate, sports and recreation, criminal justice and aviation markets.