Project of the Month: Connolly Brothers completes 60,000 s/f office and maintenance facility for W.L. French Excavating Corp.

Billerica, MA Connolly Brothers Inc, has completed a new 60,000 s/f corporate office and maintenance facility for W. L. French Excavating Corp.

The 48,000 s/f maintenance facility includes 10 drive-through maintenance bays, three high equipment bays with five-ton and 10-ton overhead cranes, truck tire carousel, diesel filter cleaning system, truck and heavy equipment wash bay, parts storage and service management offices. The 12,000 s/f office building features a fitness center, meeting spaces, and collaborative workspaces for W. L. French’s 250 employees. It was designed to promote health, wellness and productivity in the workplace. Comprised of 60,000 s/f over 22 acres, the two buildings feature new technologies, energy efficiencies, and increased capacity to handle a growing demand for field operations tied to the company’s continued growth.

“Like W. L. French, Connolly Brothers is a family-owned business. In fact, we nominated them for the Family Business Award last year and were thrilled when they won,” said Jessica French Goyette, vice president at W. L. French. “Connolly is well-known in the commercial/industrial design/build world and understood the approach we wanted to take with our new headquarters. Thanks to Connolly’s expertise and diligence we were able to stay within our budget and achieve our design and construction goals.”

Following extensive research into pre-engineered versus conventional steel frame, the team selected Star Building Systems as the supplier of the pre-engineered buildings. Using a pre-engineered system provided large, clear span frames for the maintenance facility and allowed for an adequate span without having to use conventional structural steel.  The office building incorporated an insulated metal panel exterior while the maintenance facility used traditional metal panel siding with a simple-saver insulation system.

Established in 1972, W. L. French is one of New England’s leading site excavation, environmental remediation, and soil management firms, having worked on some of the region’s most complex and high-profile projects. The company is currently working on projects such as Boynton Yards, a mixed-use development project, Assembly Row (Blocks 5B and 8) – both located in Somerville, Mass. – and Polar Park, the new home of the Worcester WooSox.

Established in 1880, Connolly is a general contractor and construction management firm based in Beverly, Mass. Specializing in private industrial, commercial, and institutional construction, Connolly is dedicated to providing quality, professional construction services to its clients. The company’s 140 years of experience enables it to price and budget more accurately, manage more effectively, and add value at every stage in the construction process. Connolly is proud of the fact that year-in and year-out, over 70% of its clients return to Connolly with plans for new construction projects.

Project team: CSI Engineering, MEP & fire protection engineering; Medford Wellington Service Co., HVAC; Connolly Brothers, construction manager; W.L. French Excavating Corp., owner/sitework; and Rhino Public Relations, public relations.

Photo credit: Camille Maren