Boston – FoxRock Properties has been named as a finalist in the Community Impact category for the Boston Business Journal’s Best in Boston Real Estate Awards for their work at SSEC. FoxRock Properties partnered with Bowdoin Construction and Roth & Seelen Architects to transform a former industrial manufacturing facility in Hingham, MA into an 86,000 square-foot school.
“FoxRock Properties was committed to this project from start to finish and they understood the need for improved functionality within our new facility,” said Dr. Henry (Hank) Perrin, Executive Director at SSEC. “The team worked diligently to complete the building by the beginning of the 2013 academic school year.”
The SSEC provides specialized education, counseling and therapeutic services for approximately 350 individuals with moderate to intense learning, intellectual, emotional, physical and medical challenges. As a result of an increase in student enrollment and the difficulties of a school that was split between two different buildings, SSEC began searching for a new facility. Throughout the design and building processes the project team worked closely with Perrin and SSEC board members to identify necessary components for the new school. New features that were incorporated into the design include: a facility on one level, a storage system for student equipment, a specialized space to accommodate different student behaviors, an accessible student pick-up/drop-off accommodations and a larger outside passive recreation space.
“The project team took special care to include all of our requests,” stated Perrin. “When we decided to alter the design plans after construction had begun to include a therapeutic pool, the team was flexible and cooperative.”
From repositioning the school’s main entrance for increased accessibility to installing a playground that utilized recycled tires for pavement so students wouldn’t get hurt if they fell, the students and their education were always top-of-mind for the team. An important part of the SSEC curriculum is the vocational program, which teaches life skills such as cooking and cleaning so that students can eventually live independently. The new school design included a vocational area that is set up like a small apartment, with a kitchen, a laundry room and a bedroom. Also, the team installed hallways that are 8 ft. – 9 ft. wide, with wider areas at the corridor intersections, to accommodate students in wheelchairs.
“This was a collaborative project as we worked with many entities such as the SSEC board, the Town of Hingham and the Town of Weymouth,” said Jason Ward, Manager, FoxRock “We are honored to have been recognized for our work and we are happy to share this recognition with the SSEC family and surrounding communities.”
In November 2013, FoxRock was recognized by the SSEC for their involvement and collaboration throughout the project. To show their appreciation, SSEC dedicated the new building to Robert T. Hale, Sr. (the late father of FoxRock’s owner Rob Hale), with a special recognition and appreciation for the FoxRock team. Currently, a plaque hangs in the main lobby of The Community School, SSEC’s day school serving students ages 3-21.
An awards program will be held Friday, May 23, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in which the Boston Business Journal will pick a winning honoree among finalists in nine separate categories. The Community Impact category includes two projects: SSEC and Arnold at the Burnham Building.