J&M Brown completes electrical construction at Boston Globe HQ

Boston, MA J&M Brown Company (JMB) completed the 60,000 s/f, two-floor electrical construction/tenant fit-out of the new Boston Globe’s headquarters at 53 State St./1Exchange Center Place in downtown.

As the Globe continues to evolve as a digital media company, the new Globe’s offices feature a futuristic newsroom, replete with ceiling-mounted HD digital displays throughout, workspaces, lap-top plug-in spaces, as well as sound-proof booths for privacy in research interviews.

JMB’s comprehensive electrical project scope included providing power and electrical distribution, lighting and lighting control, and the electrical infrastructure of the iconic media company’s audio-visual systems.

Power installations entailed providing new switchgear in the mechanical room on the building’s 13th floor, as well as all new branch circuitry from existing building electrical panels and newly added branch panels throughout the Globe office area, located on second and third floors. Nearly all wiring is concealed within the ceiling areas of the two floors, meeting the architect’s vision and aesthetic requirements for the facility’s open ceiling concept. 

The new Globe offices are equipped with an LED lighting package, which was supplied and installed by JMB. Around 2,000 LED lights integrate into a sleek LED grid system, which is installed above the ceiling areas on both floors. The lighting in all offices and open work areas ties into an advanced, custom-programmable nLight lighting control system, engineered to further enhance the office’s energy efficiency. The nLight system is comprised of 1,000 devices – power packs, bridge connectors, occupancy sensors, photo cells, dimmer and on-off switches. 

JMB’s low-voltage division, Spectrum Integrated Technologies installed the IT infrastructure for the facility and also the infrastructure for its security system.

JMB’s project manager and VP of the special projects division Dennis Nigro, general foreman Bill Marchant, power foreman Mike Ortiz, and lighting foreman Joe Sears supervised the project with an electrical team of 20 IBEW Local 103 electricians. Spectrum IT had a field crew of seven Local 103 technicians providing the tel/data and security project installations. Project manager Randy Silva headed the Spectrum team.

The NECA Boston Chapter electrical contracting firm met an aggressive schedule, commencing work in January and completing the project in under six months, as the Globe moved into its new facility in June. 

Commenting on J&M Brown’s ability to meet the project challenges, Marchant said, “As always, it took a team effort and JMB worked closely with the general contractor, Structure Tone, in meeting the tight project schedule. We planned and closely coordinated J&M Brown’s electrical installations and Spectrum’s tel/data work, which enabled the project to run efficiently.”

Nigro said, “It is very gratifying for all of us at J&M Brown to have worked in tandem with Structure Tone in handling this high-profile project for the Boston Globe. The Structure Tone team, headed by project manager Shawn Carberry, handled the project very professionally, and J&M Brown is proud to have a strong working relationship with them.”

J&M Brown principal, David Noon, said, “The Globe is a Boston institution and a vital informational resource for our city, as well as being among the most respected media companies in the world. We are proud the J&M Brown team was called upon to provide our capabilities in electrical construction and in tel/data installations in meeting the needs of their state-of-the-art new headquarters.”