Suffolk Construction recently completed construction of the $400 million Albert Sherman Center, a 512,000 square-foot biomedical research and education facility located on the University of Massachusetts Medical School campus in Worcester, Massachusetts. The state-of-the-art facility is the centerpiece of the state’s multi-year life sciences initiative.
The Suffolk project team joined Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins, UMass President Robert Caret, and other dignitaries to celebrate the grand opening of the Sherman Center, which doubles the medical school’s research capacity. The facility serves as the hub of the Worcester campus, physically connecting to existing buildings with broad landscaped exterior plazas and two elevated pedestrian bridges.
Designed by ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge, the interdisciplinary, research and education facility was created to maximize collaboration among researchers, educators, and students to encourage innovation and learning across disciplines. The LEED Gold certified Albert Sherman Center stands 11 stories high, with nine occupied floors topped by a two-story mechanical penthouse. The facility features research laboratories, six learning com
A key component of delivering the project on time and within budget was Suffolk’s innovative use of Virtual Design and Construction / Building Information Modeling (BIM). In addition to leveraging BIM for design and construction coordination, the team provided UMass Medical School with robust six-dimensional facilities management models for facility planning, operations, and maintenance throughout the life cycle of the building.
The Sherman Center is owned by the University of Massachusetts Building Authority, and PMA Consultants served as the owner’s project manager. The project received $90 million in funding from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. Construction began in April 2010.
Suffolk Construction Company
Suffolk Construction is one of the most successful privately held building contractors in the country. With annual revenue of $2 billion, Suffolk provides preconstruction, construction management, design-build, and general contracting services to clients in the healthcare, science and technology, education, federal government, and commercial sectors. This year, Engineering-News Record ranked Suffolk #40 on its national list of “Top 400 Contractors” and #17 on its list of “Top 100 CM At-Risk Firms.” Suffolk’s corporate office is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and the company has a strong national presence with main offices throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and West regions.
Suffolk is committed to delivering its “build smart” approach to construction management on every project. The company’s project teams provide clients comprehensive planning services, innovative solutions and technologies, andproven processes, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), to deliver the most complex building construction projects on schedule and on budget, withminimal risk.
Suffolk is a community-conscious organization dedicated to environmentally friendly and sustainable business practices, and is committed to making a positive impact in its local communities through grassroots volunteer work,employee fundraising, and corporate giving. For more information, visit www.suffolkconstruction.
ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge
Founded in 1969, ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge is a nationally recognized architectural, planning and interior design firm specializing in educational, sports, science and corporate facilities. With an emphasis on innovative and sustainable design, the firm has garnered more than 70 awards from a wide range of professional organizations and publications. College and university clients include Tufts, Boston College, Boston University, Duke, Harvard, Johnson & Wales, MIT, Princeton and UMass, among others. ARC also has extensive corporate experience for clients such as Genzyme, Millipore, Abbott Laboratories and VMware. For more information, visit: www.arcusa.com.
University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Massachusetts Medical School, one of the fastest growing academic health centers in the country, has built a reputation as a world-class research institution, consistently producing noteworthy advances in clinical and basic research. UMass Medical attracts more than $250 million in research funding annually, 80 percent of which comes from federal funding sources. The mission of UMass Medical is to advance the health and well-being of the people of the commonwealth and the world through pioneering education, research, public service and health care delivery with its clinical partner, UMass Memorial Health Care. For more information, visit www.umassmed.edu.
University of Massachusetts Building Authority
Currently, UMBA has managed or is currently managing more than 20 projects underway on all UMass campuses, including the General Academic Building at UMass Boston, the state-of-the-art Sherman Center at UMass Worcester Medical School, a Bio-processing Center for UMass Dartmouth, the Emerging Technology and Innovation Center at UMass Lowell, and the Commonwealth Honors College construction at UMass Amherst. Working with UMass President Bob Caret and the Board of Trustees, UMBA strives to deliver the most cost-effective, highest quality construction of world class buildings to support the mission of the University. The new research facilities, venture development centers, dormitories and student life facilities and other buildings strengthen the University’s reputation as one of the top educational institutions in the country and as a top economic development driver for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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