Project of the Month: Hobbs Brook Management, Margulies Perruzzi Architects and Columbia Construction top off 160,000 s/f office: designed to achieve LEED Silver

Hobbs Brook Management LLC, a pioneer in the development of office space in the Boston suburbs, is collaborating with design firm Margulies Perruzzi Architects and construction manager Columbia Construction Company for another out-of-the-ground office building project. It is anticipated that this four-story, 160,000 s/f Class A office building will achieve LEED Silver certification for new construction by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and will be the first office building in Norwood to do so. The team's previous successful collaboration was on the 335,000 s/f two-building office complex at 175-185 Wyman St. in Waltham, which earned LEED Gold certification and won numerous awards for design and sustainability. "Working with both Margulies Perruzzi Architects and Columbia Construction Co. has proven to be a successful formula for designing and building new and sustainable projects, as evidenced by our recent 175-185 Wyman St. project in Waltham. We are thrilled to reunite this successful team and embark upon another sustainable project together," said Donald Oldmixon, first vice president of construction, real estate and leasing at Hobbs Brook. "Hobbs Brook has been committed to building and operating sustainably for more than thirty years, and we are proud to offer yet another green Class A office building to our growing list of tenants." With the "Topping Off" ceremony for the Norwood building recently held on March 9, the project is slated for completion in the spring of 2013. The building, located at 1175 Boston/Providence Hwy., will accommodate two tenants, FM Global, one of the world's largest business property insurers, and Dedham Medical Associates, with separate entrances and lobbies. FM Global's entrance features a glass canopy, while the Dedham Medical Assoc. office features a drop-off canopy entrance for patient convenience and an adjacent glass-enclosed stair tower visible from Rte. 1. The new building was sited to fit into FM Global's campus, and a landscaped connection was created to join the new building to the existing buildings. The facade of pre-cast concrete and metal rain screen panels was chosen to blend into the context of the other buildings. Hobbs Brook Mgmt. has incorporated energy efficiency and green building practices in the construction and renovation of its properties for the last three decades. This approach to sustainability substantially reduces and eliminates negative environmental impacts, and, as an added benefit, green operations and management reduce operating costs, enhance building marketability, increase workers' productivity, and reduce potential liability resulting from indoor air quality problems. The new building in Norwood will be designed, constructed and operated as a high-performance green building. Planned features include: * 22% optimized energy performance and high performance HVAC equipment * 40% water use reduction * Drought resistant plant materials, indigenous to the region, that minimize the need for irrigation water * Bioswale and rain gardens that remove silt and pollution from surface water runoff prior to releasing into the storm water system * A high reflection roof to reduce heat islands and to reduce building energy * Solar shading on exterior window system to cut down on heat gain in the building * Implementation of recycled and regional building product materials * Implementation of a green housekeeping program, installation of shower facilities to encourage the use of bicycles for transportation, and increased preferred parking for hybrid vehicles and car poolers. The project team is also using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technologies to coordinate all design and construction activities.