Cambridge, MA – November 2016 – South Coast Improvement Company announced the completion of four renovation projects on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus, continuing their long term working relationship with this globally recognized school. These four projects consisted of facility upgrades that will have a significant impact not only on the students and faculty, but on the Institution as a whole. The projects consisted of two specialized laboratories, office spaces, and their main campus bookstore.
Building 46 at the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex is the largest neuroscience center in the world. It is LEED-Silver certified meaning it has achieved at least 50 points of certification constituted by the Green Building Council. South Coast Improvement reconfigured existing office space to accommodate a greater number of offices. This reconfiguration featured the installment of new walls and included all of the finishes that keep the style, functionality and LEED certification of the building in-tact.
The MIT Press Bookstore was a fast track full tenant fit out of a 2,500 square foot building where the bookstore relocated to from 292 Main Street, across from the Marriot Hotel and the MIT Coop. The bookstore offers a vast selection of retail books, and the majority of publications you will find are those published by MIT. Some of the genres of academic titles you will find here include Art & Architecture, Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Economics, Finance & Business, Environmental Science, Political Science, and many more. The increased space and updated furnishing and finishes will accommodate an expanding selection of publications and a newly immersive experience for the visitors- which is also expected to grow.
The bookstore renovation architect, Jones Architecture, shared thoughts on their experience working with the South Coast Improvement Team.
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Sam Clement, Project Manager at Jones Architecture, said, “I am very pleased with the outcome of the project. The South Coast team is very professional and take pride in their work which is what I like to see in a contractor. I hope to work with again on another MIT job.”
In addition to these two renovation projects for MIT, South Coast Improvement Company also took on wet and dry laboratory projects – some of the most difficult forms of work in the commercial construction industry.
South Coast Improvement constructed an entire laboratory for the world-renowned school. A conference was transformed into a wet lab to serve the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, satisfying unique requirements for research conduction and include highly specialized systems and equipment. This laboratory, namely, The Marelli Lab, was also a fast-track renovation, making its timely completion a well scheduled and strategized feat for South Coast Improvement Company.
“The surrounding environments are extremely fragile and have little to no flexibility to accommodate disruption,” said South Coast Improvement Company Site Supervisor, David Lima, “Other research labs have completely controlled temperatures, lighting and monitoring of experiments, so any electrical testing or other temporary disturbance could easily flux those conditions and recording of data.”
Their proven mastery of occupied space renovations in sensitive healthcare environments certainly contributed to their preparedness for this new territory of lab work, but Assistant Project Manager Misael Sanchez at South Coast Improvement Company stated that the company’s culture of constant communication really nurtured the success of this project, and all completed at MIT.
In addition to Marelli Lab, South Coast Improvement reconfigured a large storage space into a specialized holding room at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT. This sensitive work environment required that all personnel pass through the existing and operational laboratory space to reach the construction area.
Another testimony was provided at the conclusion of the four projects by Laura Mancuso. She said, “I just wanted to send a quick note thanking everyone on the [South Coast Improvement Company] team for their help making this project a complete success. I have never worked on a project that went this seamless and it can only be attributed to such an amazing team and their dedication to the final product. I am sad this project is ending and have enjoyed working [South Coast Improvement Company]. I hope we can work together in the future. Thanks!”
This bestowment was an incredible opportunity for South Coast Improvement Company, earned over years of impressive work. South Coast Improvement has grown immensely in a short amount of time, exhibiting expertise and demanding presence in the education sector of the commercial construction industry. These projects are a true testimony to how this company has achieved such success, and will serve as major assets in their expansive portfolio of work.
