At a ceremony held on October 6 at the Intercontinental Hotel, J.K. Scanlan Company, Inc. (JKS), received the Associated General Contractor's (AGC's) Build New England Merit Award for the $13 million, Mass. State House roof replacement and exterior repairs project. The JKS team which included Craig Gabri, project executive, Tom Shevory, project manager, Jim Sanderson and Brian Brickley project superintendents, along with representatives for the project's owner, the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), the project's architect, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH), the roofing subcontractor, Greenwood Industries and the glass, glazing and metal window subcontractor the Cheviot Corp. accepted the award for the effective collaboration and outstanding teamwork that made this unique project a success.
The State House is one of the most highly populated state office buildings in Mass. Priceless artwork, architecture, and historical memorabilia adorn the walls and spaces of this historic structure. Completing a roof replacement project in a fully occupied facility was extremely challenging. While excellent communication between JKS, SGH, and DCAM was vital to the project's success, communication and coordination with the subcontractors was even more critical. In renovation projects such as these it is often the case where the superintendent and project manager must diligently coordinate and schedule the subcontractors so that tasks that are dependent on one another are completed in sequence. The state house roof project was a prime example of the importance of such timing.
The project's scope of work included the removal and replacement of 19 of the 21 skylights that are located on the main body of the building. The largest of these skylights sits above the Great Hall of Flags. The walls of the great hall are decorated with the flags of the cities and towns of Mass. and the space is often used for official state functions and receptions. The project included removing the 30 feet wide by 100 feet long skylight glass and framing members, installation of new structural steel to serve as the base of the new skylight and the installation of a new skylight with Photovoltaic (PV) panels. All of the flags were carefully cleaned and meticulously re hung in their previous space below the new skylight.
A unique and challenging aspect of this project was the owner's desire to incorporate high tech, innovative technology into the state house building which is centuries old. This was achieved by implementing Photovoltaic Panels inside four of the newly replaced skylights, including the 100 foot long skylight that sits above the Great Hall. Many facilities are choosing to join the green movement by installing PV panels on the roofs of their buildings. Typical panels are often mounted to roof supports and are more of a "plug and play" system. The PV panels that were incorporated into the state house skylights are part of a custom, unconventional system. A PVB (polyvinyl butyral) inter layer is sandwiched between two insulated glass units, forming these custom panels. The electrical contractor works side-by-side with the Glazier to run wiring within the skylight framing members and make the connections at each PV panel. The system was tied into the building power source in the sub-basement and two kiosks are displayed in the Great Hall explaining the components of the system, and quantifying the amount of electricity generated by the panels. The incorporation of the PV system on the state house roof project is a clear example of how renewable construction and new technology can be integrated into historic buildings.