Allen & Major Associates, Inc. (A&M) is a three office, multi-discipline firm specializing in civil and structural engineering, land surveying, environmental consulting and landscape architecture. In business since 1973, A&M has over four decades of know-how and experience in the development industry. This know-how is what keeps A&M successful, although their longevity is only considered half of their success. The other half is their steely focus on client satisfaction as explained by Kevin Kiernan, principal and 27-year veteran. "We have successfully completed project after project throughout the northeast for over forty years by doing one thing and doing it well; maintaining constant customer focus and providing high quality, responsive service in a saturated market. It's simple; when you call we answer the phone."
Being able to develop a site responsibly, for the least amount of client money is challenging and requires a level of proficiency not found in a lot of firms. "We have a highly skilled and long tenured team that is extremely competent at site development and we believe that any success we achieve is due to the quality of our organization and the strength of our teams," said Robert Clarke, principal. "The firm is comprised of a stable of veteran project managers whose experience and aptitude in their fields keeps clients coming back to A&M." Being well-versed in the industry has led A&M into unprecedented growth over the last few years and has garnered a new level of recognition for the firm. "Everywhere I go someone is telling me that they are hearing about our projects. I believe this is a testimonial of the level of work we are producing, and the level of service we are providing."
A&M's current portfolio of projects is lengthy but there are a few projects generating the most news, including the $800 million MGM Springfield casino project, the Orion Student Housing complex in Durham, NH, and The Point, a massive 90-acre mixed-use development in Littleton, Mass.
The full MGM Springfield development, scheduled to break ground in the spring, will be approximately 850,000 s/f of residential, dining, retail and entertainment (including hotel and gaming) facilities and will spread over three city blocks of downtown Springfield. Land survey, civil site design, and permitting services are all being provided for the massive project. Tim Williams, principal is providing the civil engineering and oversight on the project. "Coordinating a project of this magnitude takes a considerable amount of effort and organization, but we have always been equipped and able to execute a project of any size."
Another sizable project that is under construction is The Point in Littleton, MA, a 500,000 s/f mixed-use development that will showcase a dynamic mix of office, retail, restaurants, hotel and entertainment. On a parcel area of just over 90 acres, the development sits atop a hillside. Currently the project is in its final phase of construction and leasing. In addition to the site design and permitting, A&M is also providing extensive land surveying and landscape architectural services for the project.
The antithesis of large scale is the Orion Student Housing project. This tight parameter project represents the challenges of designing a project within a highly dense and historically significant area. Located in the heart of historic downtown Durham, NH on a 1.09-acre site, the project provides 52 full amenity apartments with 179 beds, and 8,800 s/f of commercial space. The project is a working example of compact sustainable design, highlighted by the mixing of residential and commercial to promote a walkable community within the borders of the University of New Hampshire. It also represents A&M's ability to innovate solutions not normally seen in traditional residential redevelopment projects.
Additional projects like The Victor, an 11-story, residential development with 286 units completed in 2014, at the corner of Causeway and Beverly Streets in Boston, constitute A&M's continuing efforts to provide services that translate into unique projects that affect the standard perception of site development.
The Victor site was formerly occupied by the elevated portion of the central artery (MA Route 93). As part of the Boston Big Dig project, the central artery was relocated into a tunnel under the parcel which runs parallel with the existing tunnel of the MBTA green line. The building straddles both tunnels. A&M provided civil engineering to coordinate relocation of a 30-inch water main operated by the Boston Water and Sewer Commission as part of the main transmission system for portions of Boston. A&M also worked closely with the city of Boston Street Lighting Division, Public Improvement Commission and Boston Redevelopment Authority to facilitate sidewalk and lighting improvements along the project perimeter, but it was A&M's land survey field crews that were the first team on site. "We always get there first, so the onus of everything we do is on us," said Kiernan. "Our field crews and project managers needed to establish control points from the original Massachusetts Highway Department Taking Plans, perform field locations of site grades and roadway improvements that had been constructed after the removal of the above ground Central Artery roadways and create easement plans to allow the proposed building to bear on the newly constructed Central Artery Tunnel." Once the Existing Conditions were complete and the top of the newly constructed Central Artery Tunnel was exposed, A&M's survey division was pressed into action to locate bearing piles on top of the existing tunnel that were designed in anticipation of possible future building design. The plans produced as a result of this survey were the basis for the design of the now existing building. Once the existing conditions and building support survey was completed and passed onto the architectural and structural teams, A&M's Survey Division turned their sights to the legal side of the project. Working with the Attorney for the development team, the MBTA, City of Boston and Massachusetts Highway Department and Boston Water and Sewer, A&M developed Easement Plans to accommodate existing structures and interests of all these groups. Final Easement Plans were filed and became part of the complicated Easement Agreements that ultimately became the perimeter of the proposed building and site. As final touches on the new building were being completed, A&M's survey division teamed with the GC to provide layout of footings and foundation walls of the proposed building as well as site utilities. A&M was also involved in site monitoring as the building began construction to insure the bearing piles on the Central Artery Tunnel were acting as originally designed, and supporting the new construction. A&M was in constant contact with the contractor and design team reporting on site conditions.
After construction of the new building and site was completed, A&M prepared As-Built and ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey Plans to allow for final closure and financing of the site. This aspect of the survey required pulling information from all previous phases of the survey work completed on site as well as field location of site features, utilities and the new building. The tight time frame and exacting tolerances of the project require careful attention to detail when preparing the final plans. "Closing and financing went off without a hitch," said Kiernan. "Our survey crews are some of the longest tenured employees at A&M, that level of experience is crucial to a successful project outcome like this".
When you ask Clarke to sum up what each of these projects represents, he keeps it simple. "In all the day to day noise of running a business it can easily be forgotten that being successful is simply about the relationships; about people and meeting their needs. Everyone here at A&M puts a lot of thought into the business, what it means, and how our skills and knowledge can be used as tools to make a difference to our clients and the communities we serve. We try to stay grounded and moving forward. Our clients seem to like the simplicity of the process and the value in the services they get."