Suffolk Completes Construction of $400M Biomedical Research Facility

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Suffolk Construction, an AGC member in multiple locations, recently completed construction of the $400 million Albert Sherman Center, a 512,000 sq-ftbiomedical research and education facility located on the University of Massachusetts Medical School campus in Worcester, Mass. The state-of-the-art facility is the centerpiece of the state's multi-year life sciences initiative.

The Suffolk project team joined Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins, UMass President Robert Caret, and other dignitaries to celebrate the grand opening of the Sherman Center, which doubles the medical school's research capacity. The facility serves as the hub of the Worcester campus, physically connecting to existing buildings with broad landscaped exterior plazas and two elevated pedestrian bridges.

Designed by ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge, the interdisciplinary, research and education facility was created to maximize collaboration among researchers, educators, and students to encourage innovation and learning across disciplines. The LEED Gold certified Albert Sherman Center stands 11 stories high, with nine occupied floors topped by a two-story mechanical penthouse. The facility features research laboratories, six learning community centers, a 350-seat auditorium, conference rooms, a full-service café and dining area, and a fitness center. The project scope also featured construction of a nearby 1,411 space, seven-level parking garage.

A key component of delivering the project on time and within budget was Suffolk's innovative use of Virtual Design and Construction / Building Information Modeling (BIM). In addition to leveraging BIM for design and construction coordination, the team provided UMass Medical School with robust six-dimensional facilities management models for facility planning, operations, and maintenance throughout the life cycle of the building.

About Suffolk Construction Company
Suffolk Construction is one of the most successful privately held building contractors in the country. With annual revenue of $2 billion, Suffolk provides preconstruction, construction management, design-build, and general contracting services to clients in the healthcare, science and technology, education, federal government, and commercial sectors. Suffolk's corporate office is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and the company has a strong national presence with main offices throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and West regions. For more information, visit www.suffolkconstruction.com and/or follow Suffolk on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.