J.M. Coull completes 97,000 s/f northeast regional office of NMF of the NOAA in Gloucester

J.M. Coull has recently completed construction of the 97,000 s/f Northeast Regional Office (NERO) of the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMF) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The project involved the new construction of two connected structures: a four-story main building totaling 86,000 s/f and a smaller 11,000 s/f annex building. Included in this two-building complex is a dense compilation of office suites serving many of the departments housed within NERO, including Fishery Operations, Statistics, the Habitat Conservation and Restoration Department, and the Protected Resources Department. Due to the intricate needs of the facility, numerous penthouse mechanical units are necessary to maintain daily operations. In order to efficiently implement the needed equipment, J.M. Coull arranged for prefabricated units to be delivered from the manufacturing plant in N.C. These units arrived pre-plumbed and were significantly larger than traditional units, requiring the use of cranes to lift them to the roof before workers connected all of the systems and bolted them into place. A difficult winter proved particularly challenging as high winds, inordinate amounts of snow combined with the high elevation of the site over-looking the Atlantic Ocean created a complicated work environment. With careful scrutiny of the weather forecast, J.M. Coull took advantage of a three-day warm spell in January that allowed workers to pour three slabs of concrete continuously for seventy-two hours before temperatures dipped below freezing again. This forethought allowed J.M. Coull to maintain the original rigorous schedule, and prevented the need for additional winter conditions including wrapping and heating the building prior to pouring the concrete. The architect, 4240 Architecture Inc. was chosen specifically for their leadership in designing buildings that address the economics, social equity, and environmental sustainability of the project. ISO 9001 certified consultant Henneman Engineering, was selected as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer.