Challenge
Boston Properties was developing a new 18-story high-rise building to serve technology and life science tenants in the rapidly evolving innovation hub of Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They faced a very tight urban site, an aggressive schedule, and a labor force that was already strained by extensive construction activity in the greater Boston area.
Solution
The project team – comprised of Turner Construction, SourceBlue (Turner’s supply chain procurement optimizer), and BALA Engineering – engaged Epsilon Industries to develop an Off Site Constructed solution to one of the most critical elements of the project: the central utility systems.
Delivering the central mechanical and electrical utility systems using the prefabricated, modular OSC approach enabled the building’s central utilities to be designed, built, delivered, and started-up in record time. The prefabricated, modular “Super Skid” solution – designed to be installed on the 17th floor of a traditional stick-built structure – allowed the team to shift 26,000 man-hours off the job site; this accelerated the MEP schedule by 10 weeks and significantly reduced the overall project risk, while controlling system costs, reducing on-site labor density, and improving jobsite safety.
Profile of the Super Skid
- 34 individual skids, connected to create a contiguous ~8,000 sq. ft. mechanical room
- 1,200 (600 x 2) tons of cooling via water-cooled chillers
- 25,000 (5000 x 5) MBH of heating via hot-water boilers
- 100,000 (50,000 x 2) CFM of custom air handling units
- Thousands of feet of piping and conduit serving all associated systems
Project Overview
Client: Boston Properties
System Type: Central Utility Systems in “Super Skid” configuration
Market Sector: Mixed-use Commercial
