New England Biolabs (NEB®) is recognized as a world leader in the discovery and production of enzymes for molecular biology applications. To expand their research and development efforts that support all aspects of bioscience, NEB awarded Wise Construction the project to fit out lab and office space for their newest Research and Development facility in Beverly, MA.
Wise Construction is currently on track to deliver the finished 33,000 square-foot-space in 2022. Wise took the pre-existing core and shell warehouse built by Cummings Properties, and renovated the space entirely with infrastructure upgrades to support the NEB fit out.
“This was one of the most challenging projects I’ve worked on here at Wise,” says Andrew Cacciola, Wise’s Senior Project Manager on the job, “we converted a non-laboratory space into a laboratory space.”
Wise fit out the lab/office space. The 22,000 SF of lab space included all new finishes, lab benches, casework, and lab support equipment. The remaining 11,000 SF of office space includes a staff lounge, conference rooms, assembly room, bathrooms, a security desk and lobby area, and other general office support space. The team was able to release long-lead items such as the AHUs, generator, elevator, switchgear, lab casework and cold rooms prior to 100% CD documents being issued to keep the project on schedule.
In line with NEB’s commitment to protecting the environment, they wanted to achieve LEED® certification, which is awarded based on a series of environmentally-focused standards. Having been very familiar with this process, Wise followed a LEED buildout from start to finish. Some of the considerations during construction included using three separate containers to manage and weigh waste, using low emitting materials (e.g., glues, sealants, drywall, installation) and performing a full building flush out. LEED features continue into the parking lots outside of the building which include bike racks, low emitting parking spots for guests, and electric car charging stations.
Wise’s Keara Gaffey, Assistant Project Manager, described her experience on the project: “For the past 11 years I have either managed a lab building or had the pleasure of being the GC on one. Though challenging, the final product is always so satisfying! This project was no different and such an exciting ride. Our Wise team was involved in the design process from day one, all the way to assisting the client to achieve LEED.”
New England Biolabs® and NEB® are registered trademarks of New England Biolabs, Inc.
LEED® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council Corporation
Project Partners
Property Owner: Cummings Properties, https://www.cummings.com/
Client: New England Biolabs, https://www.neb.com/
Architect: BushWang Architects, https://bushwang.com/
Engineer: BR+A Consulting Engineers, https://brplusa.com/
Construction Manager: Wise Construction
