Project of the Month: Fulcrum completes historic renovation of The Davis Agency’s new Concord headquarters

Concord, NH Fulcrum is celebrating their recently completed project for The Davis Agency. Intending to grow their operational footprint, the NH-based Davis Agency turned to The H.L. Turner Group Inc. (architect/engineer) and Fulcrum (construction manager) to redesign the interior of their new location–an existing historic office building in the downtown.

Previously the home to an educational non-profit organization, the existing space featured open floor plans and an abundance of daylight coming in from the large street-facing windows; leaving much to the imagination for The Davis Agency’s future plans. After understanding The Davis Agency’s expectations and requirements, The H.L. Turner Group and Fulcrum worked together to create a truly collaborative layout for the new 3,400 s/f, two-story office space. The main level features conference spaces, a community area, cubicles, upscale appointments, and a spiral staircase that was original to the space. A fresh and coastal New England theme carries itself through the conference rooms and into the collaborative areas. The preserved spiral staircase leads directly to the second floor which houses new offices, a game area, and the executive suite. In addition to preserving the original spiral staircase, precautions were taken while preserving the historical copper appointments on the outside of the building, maintaining the rich integrity and historic feel of the streetside brick façade downtown is known for.

Because The Davis Agency’s new location was in the heart of the bustling downtown area; neighboring businesses, residents, deliveries, parking, and community events presented construction challenges. Fulcrum took the challenges as an opportunity to employ their comprehensive scheduling skills. Looking to consider all parties involved and affected by this urban construction project, Fulcrum successfully delivered the logistical planning and coordination the renovation demanded. This was accomplished through measures such as deliveries in the early hours of the morning or weekends when possible; negotiating parking needs with surrounding businesses, residents, and the city; as well as being sure Fulcrum’s presence while on-site had as little impact as possible to the surrounding areas. Due to the city’s community-driven nature, the frequent rallies and various community events brought road closures to Main St., only a few blocks away from The Davis Agency’s new location. Coordination of critical path work around these events was imperative since when detours and street closures were in place, traditional delivery vehicles were unable to access the building. Because of these detours and closures, deliveries were forced to take place either intermittently or far in advance to then be stored on-site. With the proper planning and foresight, Fulcrum was able to successfully overcome these challenges and deliver a new home for The Davis Agency - both on time, and on budget.

Bill Hickey of The H.L. Turner Group Inc. was the project manager providing structural analysis for the project and project architect Dan Hall incorporated the charm of the old building into the new design.

The Fulcrum team, led by Bob Levesque and Marcus Swedberg, contributed the project’s success to their cohesive team of subcontractor partners who put all the work in place. Fulcrum partnered with Boisvert Electric Co.; Marchand Painting; Merrimack Drywall, Inc.; Optiline Enterprises; Paul White Co.; Ponemah Contractor Supply; Portland Glass; SL Chasse Steel; and Steve Hawes Plumbing & HVAC for this historic renovation project.

Project team list: Fulcrum, Construction Management; The H.L. Turner Group Inc., Architect/Engineer; SL Chasse Steel, Structural Steel/Misc. Metal; D.A. Boisvert Electric Co., Electrical; and Merrimack Drywall, Inc., Drywall.