Fulcrum completed its largest project in company history and the largest with BAE Systems, a leader in the Defense industry. BAE engaged Fulcrum to construct a large scale, highly complex project under a demanding schedule, this time as Design-Builder. This project was a 250,000sf renovation of an existing building to create a new home for over 800 employees. Fulcrum assembled the same team that designed the highly successful Ramp to Rate project two years earlier. Working with Lavallee-Brensinger Architects, MEP engineers Fitzemeyer-Tocci, structural engineers Foley, Buhl, Roberts and civil engineers Haynor-Swanson, Fulcrum oversaw the implementation of the Owner’s program requirements. In addition to state and local building codes the project design had to satisfy a myriad of special design requirements set forth by the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, and the US Air Force.
The $120M project consisted of the complete gut and rehab of an existing 250,000sf 5 level office building and converting the space into highly secured classified R&D, laboratory, and manufacturing space. As one of the design team members noted, “we’re changing everything but the address.” The 15-acre site was completely reconfigured, and new parking was added to accommodate the anticipated 800-1,000 workers. The critical nature of the work performed in the facility called for new redundant electrical and communication entrances, redundant 34,500V electrical services, and separate Tier 2 class fiber communication feeds to the facility including one installed under the Merrimack River. The highly complex MEP systems represent nearly 40% of the entire project cost. We are proud to say we completed the project on time and on budget while navigating through the pandemic.