Manchester, NH North Branch Construction was recognized at the Associated Builders and Contractors NH/VT Chapter 2019 Annual Excellence in Construction Awards ceremony held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown.

The firm was honored to receive a Merit Award in the “Commercial $5-10M” category for the new construction of the State of New Hampshire Portsmouth Liquor Store #38 in Portsmouth. Scott Hughes, associate architect with Oak Point Associates joined North Branch Construction to accept the award.

The project consisted of construction of a 23,000 s/f new facility, as well as the demolition of the existing 12,000 s/f retail store. The existing retail store remained open and fully operational throughout the duration of the project. The location of the new facility was adjacent to the existing facility sharing a very tight site surrounded by several major roadways, including the Portsmouth Traffic Circle, Rte. 16, Woodbury Ave., and Rte. 1 Bypass, and an entrance to Rte. 95 close by.

Due to the complexity of the project, the tight site, and the requirement that the existing retail store remain fully operational, numerous site-specific plans were developed prior to construction including traffic control, truss erection, fall protection, and rescue to name a few. Very active pedestrian and customer foot traffic required rerouting entrances to the retail store, as well as construction equipment and material deliveries. Deliveries were coordinated to be “just in time” as there was little onsite storage, making logistics a challenge.

Phase 1 of the project was completed with the new retail store opening 11 months into the project without any break in service of the retail outlet – the old store closed one day, with the new store opening the very next day. Phase 2 involved demolition of the old retail outlet, which brought its own anticipated challenges as well as some unforeseen conditions requiring abatement, wrapping up within the next two months. After a break due to winter conditions, Phase 3 final site work was completed in the spring of 2019.

The ABC Excellence in Construction Award winners are determined by an independent panel of judges based on execution of design, craftsmanship, attention to detail, safety, and other considerations. The competition includes Awards of Merit and Excellence in several categories including Electrical, Mechanical, Commercial, Institutional, Industrial, and Design-Build.