Lee Kennedy Co. breaks ground on $60 million Salem State University library & learning center; 122,000 s/f facility designed for LEED Silver certification by Shepley Bulfinch

Lee Kennedy Co. joined team members from Salem State University, the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) and design firm Shepley Bulfinch to celebrate the official groundbreaking of the university's new $60 million Library & Learning Commons. Building information modeling (BIM) factors heavily in this project. The team's use of the latest BIM software has streamlined the preconstruction process to set up a seamless transition into construction. Lee Kennedy's team will demolish the existing library before moving on to construct the new 122,000 s/f facility. Designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, the complex will include archival space; circulation and reference areas; collections; reading spaces; study rooms; instruction labs and a Dean's suite The library's location on a tight site in the midst of the active college campus creates intricate logistics that the team will tightly manage to ensure both safety and uninterrupted campus operations throughout construction. "I am pleased to work with Lee Kennedy Co. again. I have great confidence that this will be a wonderful process as we move forward in construction," said Patricia Maguire Meservey, president, Salem State Univ. With work on site now underway, the team is scheduled to complete the facility in just 23 months for occupancy in early 2013.