Pro Con Inc. erecting steel at "green" TownePlace Suites by Marriott hotel in Quonset Business Park

With the steel framing complete and the wood framing progressing, a new "green" TownePlace Suites by Marriott hotel is taking shape in the Quonset Business Park. Pro Con, Inc. is the architect and construction manager for the $7.5 million sustainable design build project which is being developed as part of the Gateway Parcel Master Development by New Boston Fund Inc. and Waterford Development. The hotel is being built on a 4.6 acre site located across from The Shops at Quonset Point at the intersection of Gate Rd. and Rte. 403. Pro Con is using regional and recycled materials in construction and incorporating environmentally beneficial strategies in the hotel's development and daily operations. "The hotel has many sustainable design features including a geothermal system for heating and cooling the 55,453 s/f building," said the project manager for Pro Con Inc. "The geothermal wells have been drilled, piped, grouted and have been connected to the building. All abandoned concrete found during excavations was crushed and will be reused for structural fill. The landscape plantings will be low water tolerant plants and the lawns will be watered using water collected from storm runoff." The developer is intending to make the TownePlace Suites one of the first environmentally friendly hotels in R.I. and has registered the 4-story, 103-key hotel with the US Green Building Council (USGBC) with the intention to pursue certification under the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The building is expected to be framed and weather tight this month. The construction schedule remains on target for March 2011 completion date for the hotel. Colwen Management will manage the new hotel.