Dacon wins DBIA New England
Bronze Award for 111 Speen St. facility

Framingham, MA The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) conferred on Dacon a Bronze Award for Building Construction for the 111 Speen St. facility. This award recognizes leadership and construction excellence utilizing the design build methodology. 

Denis Moffett, president of DBIA New England said, “The project, showcased during the awards banquet, highlighted numerous Design Build Done Right best practices and is a shining example of a team coming together to deliver an exceptional product for the end user. DBIA New England was proud to recognize the project team on their accomplishment, and for raising the bar for design building in the New England region.” 

This is the facility’s second award since November when it won the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Excellence in Construction Award for work demonstrating overall excellence in project execution, safety, craftsmanship, design and client satisfaction.

Designed in 1985, this facility was postmodernist Robert A.M. Stern’s first commercial building. Stern’s architectural style centered on integrating classical and modern elements in a whimsical, irreverently playful, and complex manner. 

Design build was the best project method from financial and tactical perspectives, central to which was the identification of costs and risks during the design phase. As often happens with historical buildings, there were no existing drawings, thus engineering challenges arose when reusing the existing façade revealed non-standard details. Understanding this cost impact enabled value-added choices to occur upfront, such as a modernized entryway, outdoor patio and sports courts. For this competition, the winning catalyst was the modernization of a facility with architectural significance without forsaking history.