Jane Kaplan Peck, Nate Peck, Wright Dickinson, and Melissa Bullock from Kaplan Construction accept three EICA Awards / © David Fox Photographer
Boston Psychoanalytic Society & Institute / Melissa Bullock, Kaplan Construction
Boston – Kaplan Construction, a WBE general contractor and construction management firm, announced that the firm’s renovation of a historic building in Newton for the Boston Psychoanalytic Society & Institute (BPSI) won three Excellence in Construction Awards (EICA) from the Massachusetts Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Kaplan received the Merit award for historical restoration over $1 million, the Green award, and the Safety award.
PSI’s new educational center will support more than 500 members and 150 volunteer faculty, providing space for seminars, the largest psychoanalytical library and archives in the country, and educational programs for members, students, and the public. Kaplan provided interior and exterior renovations to the three-story, 12,540sf Colby Hall, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Project team members included Schwartz/Silver Architects of Boston: programming, design, and furnishings; Design Technique, Inc. of Newburyport: owner’s representative; Cosentini Associates of Cambridge: mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering; Nitsch Engineering of Boston: civil engineering; and John Born Associates of Cambridge: structural engineering.
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“The BPSI project embodied one of our biggest passions – restoring an older structure to its former greatness while adapting it for current needs,” said Nate Peck, president of Kaplan Construction. “We are honored to have been recognized by ABC for our team’s work creating a new home for BPSI.”
In addition to construction management, Kaplan provided pre-construction services including exploratory work, budget review estimates, preparation of deduct alternates, and preliminary schedules.
ABC Merit Award for Historical Restoration greater than $1 million – The Merit Award recognizes the overall excellence in project execution, craftsmanship, safety, innovative elements and challenges, and client satisfaction.
Built in 1866, Colby Hall is a Romanesque Revival, Second Empire stone masonry building with wood framed floors, roof, and stud partitions. Kaplan renovated and reconfigured the building’s three floors to accommodate BPSI’s program spaces, and converted the attached vaulted chapel to a library and multi-purpose room used to host lectures, dinners, and functions. Off the entrance is a casually furnished Community Room with an attached kitchenette that is being used as communal gathering space for students, members and faculty.
Challenging aspects of this historic restoration project include the following:
- Much of the basement was excavated to create additional square footage, requiring Kaplan to underpin 70% of the exterior masonry load-bearing façade.
- Slate and copper roof details were photographed, measured, and drawn prior to demolition to ensure that the new slate and copper would capture the original grandeur of the mansard roof.
- Wood trim and moldings, mahogany window sashes, and solid oak stair treads and risers were all hand-replicated by a Kaplan carpenter or restored from salvaged materials.
- The stones of the chapel entrance were carefully numbered and catalogued before dismantling to ensure that they were all returned to their correct location upon reassembly.
ABC Green Building Award – This award recognizes significant achievements in green construction that, as a result, enhance the sustainability of the built environment and society at large. The BPSI renovation included the complete restoration of existing windows utilizing new energy efficient glazing; repurposing two arched stile and rail oak doors and hardware in the community and meeting rooms; and using salvaged wood and flooring materials wherever possible for patching and blending new to old. In addition, Kaplan installed a Direct Digital Control (DDC) HVAC system to allow BPSI to manage its energy usage more efficiently, and utilized low VOC paints and adhesives.
ABC Safety Award – Kaplan successfully took measures to ensure zero lost time and a safe job site environment, implementing a custom-built interior staging tower, full exterior staging, and utilizing HEPA fans and air scrubbers to minimize dust and raise air quality levels.
