The ambitious “15 Days” project that teamed up Leggat McCall Properties, Commodore Builders and Audrey O’Hagan Architects, LLC last September has just been certified LEED-platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) – the first and only commercial interior work in Boston to earn that distinction.
The project – a build-out of Leggat McCall Properties’ new 10,000-sf office space at 10 Post Office Square in Boston – typically would have taken 10 to 12 weeks to complete, but was finished in an astonishing 15 work days from Sept. 8-26, 2008. At the same time, the project’s energy consumption was reduced by 35% (compared to a conventional project), with future reconfiguration of the space expected to cost 50% less than traditional construction, take 25% of the time and reuse 100% of the materials.
The work at the Leggat McCall Properties space is one of only 30 LEED platinum-certified commercial interior projects in the United States, and was documented online. The site includes extensive background and details of the project, including interviews with the principal figures, a time-lapse video of the work and a day-by-day color-coded blueprint, updated as each component was completed.
“This project clearly demonstrates that green building construction is not only good for the environment, but can be done cost-effectively and in record time,” said Jim Hunt, Chief of Environment and Energy for the City of Boston. “The significant energy savings achieved through the use of innovative technology will pay substantial dividends year after year. Mayor Menino and I applaud the project team of Commodore Builders/Leggat McCall/O’Hagan for getting the job done and setting yet another historic milestone in Boston’s already rich green building history.”
“We knew Leggat McCall had the experience to build a LEED platinum facility,” said Leggat McCall Properties President Eric Sheffels. “We set out to see if we had the ‘Yankee ingenuity’ to do it without spending additional money. Achieving this is what we are most proud of.”
“With this project, we’ve entered a realm that many think only mega-companies can reach,” said Leggat McCall Properties’ Executive Vice President Eric Bacon, “but we’ve shown that a small business can achieve big results, too.”
Developed by the USGBC, LEED is an internationally-recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the categories of energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity Leggat McCall offered to us, and to the entire team, with their vision to redefine the speed of construction without sacrificing results,” said Joe Albanese, Founder and CEO of Commodore Builders. “There’s no better testament to that than to be the first LEED Platinum CI project in Boston. It’s great to be part of this leadership team.”
“Leggat McCall Properties’ mandate to the team was to rethink the conventional procurement process, as well as construction methods and materials used in order to achieve their objective for a highly adaptable, sustainable, and energy efficient office environment,” said Audrey O’Hagan, Founder of O’Hagan Architects, LLC. “Working in an integrated, holistic manner with the client and construction team bridged the gap between design and construction, reduced the overall project costs and instilled a commitment to the importance of quality and craftsmanship by all members of the team. There was a unifying sense of, ‘We’re all in this together and we want the project to be successful.’”
Building Team
Leggat McCall Properties was established in 1965, and has acquired and developed more than 7 million sf of properties with an aggregate value of more than $1.5 billion. Today as a private real estate company, it buys and develops properties in the greater Boston area for its own account and on behalf of its partners and clients. Its specialty is managing development and construction risk, and transforming real estate projects into stable, institutional-quality assets.
Commodore Builders provides its clients with a wide range of construction services, from project conception to preconstruction, execution, close-out and warranty service. Its Senior Management team has deep roots in the Boston market and strong ties to the building community. Its firm is well managed financially, and is proud of the enduring relationships with its clients, partners and top subcontractors in the marketplace. The firm was named by the Boston Globe as one of the Top 100 Places to Work in Massachusetts.
Audrey O’Hagan Architects, LLC is an architectural and interior design firm dedicated to quality service and exceptional design. Its services include design consulting, programming, feasibility studies, schematic design and design development. It also offers full architecture and interior design services, fit-out and new construction projects and partnering with other firms for larger scale projects.
