Tocci Building Companies was honored with Building Project of the Year at the recent Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) New England Chapter Awards luncheon. Tocci earned the award in the Renovation/Modernization Project Over $20 million category for their design-build work in the adaptive re-use of the Abbot Mill. The firm completed the project for owner Yule Development Co., Inc., of Newton. Tocci, along with Ganek Architects, Inc., transformed the 150 year old fabric mill into 131 residential units while maintaining the historic integrity of the structure and incorporating numerous sustainable practices and features.
“This award is a tribute not only to the entire construction team as individual components – the owner, architect, subcontractors and Tocci – but also to the spirit of collaboration that enabled the team to adapt and implement the design changes to this complex project in a timely and efficient manner,” said John Tocci, chief enabling officer for Tocci.
The award was presented at the 19th Annual CMAA Project Achievement Award Luncheon held at the Revere Hotel in Boston, which featured former MA senator Scott Brown as the keynote speaker. Each year the event honors the top projects and individuals in the construction field and presents scholarships to students attending industry related colleges.
Tocci and Ganek made extensive use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) during the design-build process, which greatly enhanced the project team’s ability to restore the historic character to the 239,000 s/f facility. “Tocci was able to track a lot of design options and simultaneously manage different concepts while we were constructing the building,” said Laura Handler, director of VDC and BIM for Tocci. “The technology also enabled us to meet the owner’s sustainability requirements, while giving him design flexibility for his tenants.”
As a result, many features of the original Victorian building were either restored or replicated, including boarded-up saw-tooth skylights that were originally constructed to draw natural light into interior spaces for mill workers, but now allow light to flood common areas and apartment units. Sustainable solutions that dramatically limit heat and cooling loss were found, including sealing and insulating each unit. One prominent sustainable feature is the 40,000 s/f array of solar panels on the roof that produce 331KW of non-carbon energy. The project was completed in September of 2012 and was occupied soon thereafter.
Tocci, a leading construction management firm, is nationally recognized as a leader in Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. Tocci provides intelligent building solutions, and construction services with an integrated approach and emphasis on sustainable construction. Tocci is celebrating a successful year in business for the 90th year in a row, still family-owned and operated; Tocci has evolved with the times and has become a leader at the forefront of construction technology.