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H+O's Cost Index

This 19-story student housing high rise in downtown Philadelphia is home to 802 student beds.  There is ground floor retail space and parking.  Level 2 is home to intermediate amenity space as well as a roof deck on level 14 including a pool. The building is conveniently located to serve both University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.

• 5-on-1 podium
• Post-tensioned concrete podium
• 130,000 GSF

11 E Lenox is a 7-story, multifamily residential project in Boston, MA. Completed in the winter of 2022, it was the first ground-up mass timber building in the City of Boston and was the tallest mass timber building in the Northeast at the time of completion.

• Glulam columns and double-beams support 5-ply cross laminated timber floor slabs.
• 7-story mass timber eliminated the need for a podium
• Cost neutral with 5-on-2 podium
• Double-beams run parallel with unit demising walls. No beams span the other direction – creating a lot of advantages, including beam free corridors for MEP runs.
• Fully exposed mass timber – fire rating comes from char
• Lateral system  – Redi cores

Considering mass timber, or just want to learn more?

Contact us today for our free multifamily mass timber design guide.

45,000 SF, 3-story, LEED Platinum life science development with below grade parking.  The below grade construction utilizes secant pile construction as temporary support of excavation and permanent basement walls and water cutoff.  Above grade construction is composite steel construction designed to meet 2,000-8,000 micro-inches per second (mips) depending on tenant requirement.

200,000 GSF, 5-story multifamily residential development.

• Type IIIA construction
• Significant sloped site
• Leveraged the slope site to create amenity space on the lowest street elevation without exceeding the the 5-story height limit of Type IIIA wood construction.

Rendering by Port One Companies

3-story 210,000 SF composite steel medical office building with 3 levels of below grade parking. Ground floor consists of an Ambulatory Service Center with two stories of office space above and elevated courtyard spaces.

Rendering courtesy of Machado Silvetti.

The Beck includes the new construction of a five-story, 360,000 sf building on the riverfront in Haverhill, MA. Located on what was formerly a vacant factory site by Bradford’s Commuter Rail station, this 5-on-1 podium has below grade parking, amenity and retail at level 1, and residential market rate apartments at Level 2-Roof.  The building will house 290-units of residential market-rate apartments, and ground floor retail space totaling 6,750 SF. Construction will also include the creation of 320 parking spaces for residents and public parking spaces for retail stores and restaurants.

Rendering by CUBE3

H+O provided Engineer of Record services alongside a design-build effort with Imperatore and Star Building.

• Fast-track design and construction schedule
• Early foundation package
• Navigate lateral loads and construction sequencing with 16′-0″ retaining wall cutting through the building.

Interested in a design-build project with engineers who understand logistics and construction cost?

Contact us today.

This two-building cGMP Advanced Manufacturing Campus consists of 294,000 SF (147,000 SF per building), 40-foot building heights and expansive internal mezzanines. 44 Middlesex is a purpose-built, life science manufacturing campus buildings designed to satisfy the needs of life science manufacturing tenants with high rooftop MEP demands, interior clean room demands, and future mezzanine and loading bay expansions.

Construction:

• Roof – Long-span steel roof joists with 40ft clear heights
• Mezzanine – composite steel designed for 8,000 mips
• Exterior walls – steel column & girt system

Many spec-built cGMP manufacturing facilities are designed with an overly-conservative and costly amount of future potential mechanical loads on the roof.  Not at 44 Middlesex. H+O and the team studied the distribution of potential mechanical loads over the 105k GSF roof to determine appropriate loading and avoid spending unnecessary money.

Rendering by TRIA

13-story, high-rise hotel on Hamilton Place, steps from the Boston Common. The 80-key hotel will feature an open-air roof deck with views of the Boston Commons, amenity space, bike storage, and a ground level café.

• Conceptual design studies explored mass timber, steel, concrete and light gage.
• Revitalize the existing 3-story sandstone and brick façade.
• Design considers logistics and site constraints including zero lot lines and limited access to site on Hamilton Place.
• Concrete cast-in-place structure with a concrete core.

Renderings by RODE Architects.

Conceptual design studies play a critical role in high rise developments. Contact us today to make sure you select the right structural system for your next development.

Phase I of II, this multifamily residential development will deliver 469-units to Dorchester. Each structure includes two exterior courtyards and two-story tall, clear-span entries to the garage. This development is transit oriented with ocean and city views.

250 unit mixed-use residential development with 250,000 of framed floor/roof area. Consists of 5 levels of type IIIA wood construction over a Type 1A composite steel podium with a central courtyard space. The structure is supported by a mix ground improvement using rammed aggregate piers and rigid inclusions.

Repositioning this 120+ year-old brick and heavy timber building for life science use.

• Updated the lateral system using shotcrete shear walls, a creative and cost-effective means to increase the lateral capacity of unreinforced brick shear walls.
• Added 2″ concrete topping slab to the existing heavy timber floor to increase floor vibration performance for lab use.
• Foundation upgrades using drilled mini piles and grade beams to supplement the existing timber pile supported foundation.

H+O conducted a feasibility study to quantify the magnitude of structural upgrades prior to a full design so the owner could make informed decisions during their due diligence period.

Considering repositioning an existing building?

Not all buildings are created equal – schedule a meeting through our contact page to better spot risk and opportunity when acquiring existing assets.

Two new construction student housing development with dorm living on the upper levels and classrooms and flex space on the ground floor.  The project will deliver 540 new beds to the campus over about 140,000 sf of new construction.

A 3-building development consisting of 293 residential units (15% affordable) over parking. Buildings A and B are 3 stories of Type VA wood construction over a 2-story Type IA composite steel podium with 22,670 SF of retail space on level 1 and below grade parking. Building C consists of 4 stories of Type VA wood construction supported by a 1-story composite steel podium over below grade parking.

80,000 SF high-bay manufacturing expansion for a growing tenant.

• Stepped the roof to avoid adding snow drift on the existing building
• Transferred roof diaphragm loads through the step in the roof without adding interior braced frames
• Vertical insulated metal panel walls

Ground-up multifamily development with 250 new rental apartments, below-grade parking, and retail space along the street corridor.  A 4-on-1 structure with with a Type IA composite steel podium supporting 4 levels of Type VA panelized wood construction.

50 Leo provides 49 new condominium homes for the growing Allston Brighton Neighborhood. A 1-story composite steel podium support 5 levels of type IIIA panelized wood construction.

Located in front of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, 1395 Washington is a 6-floor, high-end condo in the heart of South End.

• 5-on-1 podium structure
• Tight urban infill with zero lot line

Renderings by EMBARC

This design team delivered an expansive exterior roof deck and rooftop greenhouse with 360-degree city views. A challenging addition to the existing structure:

• Steel column pierce through the existing concrete roof structure to new & existing pile-supported foundations.
• A composite steel transfer frame to support the new greenhouse to avoid overloading the existing roof structure.
• Seismic upgrade using select exterior CMU walls
• Conceptual design study confirmed project could be completed within budget.

Images courtesy of RODE Architects

New 12-story student housing development with ground floor retail and 3 levels of below-grade parking located in State Park, PA.  Project will deliver 473 beds.

Lead by Shake Shack and Bergmeyer, the Danbury location set the standard for new locations, perfecting the drive-up process for visitors.

As a trusted partner to Bergmeyer and Shake Shack, H+O has helped deliver dozens of Shake Shack locations across the country.

Photos courtesy of Bergmeyer.

This nine-story transit-oriented development will bring 105 market-rate apartments plus ground-floor retail to Worcester’s Canal Park.

Rendering by RODE Architects.

New ski lodge for Tenney Mountain Ski Resort in Plymouth, New Hampshire. This brand new state-of-the-art ski lodge will feature a 10,000 sf wraparound deck with 360-degree views of the mountain, a double-sided fireplace, and plenty of room for lounging year-round at the upstairs bar & restaurant. Construction will be a blend of structural steel and exposed mass timber (glulam beams and columns and CLT decks.

4-story affordable housing development located in the heart of Hyannis, MA. Project to deliver 120 new affordable apartments to the area.

A 4-building mixed-use, multifamily residential development amassing to 350,000 GSF.  The project will deliver 415-units to the historic downtown.

• 4-on-1 podium: 4 levels of type VA wood construction supported by a composite steel podium.
• Pile-supported foundations and structural slabs to accommodate soils unsuitable to support a building.
• (15) 3-story townhouses

Renderings by EMBARC.

95,000 sf expansion of Vicor’s existing manufacturing space in Andover, MA.  Vicor Corporation is a leading global high-performance power company focused on developing high-density power modules, and the expansion creates the world’s first ChiP (Converter housed in Package) fabrication facility, or “ChiP fab,” which sets the standard for scalable high-volume, cost-effective and reliable power module manufacturing in the United States.  The ChiP fab enables innovative power solutions that deliver compact and highly efficient modular power units for a wide array of fields, including data center, automotive, aerospace/satellite, robotics and unmanned aerial vehicles, to name few.

A major design requirements of the 2-story expansion was meeting strict vibration criteria, exceeding 2000 mips over the full floor plate.

Photos by GRLA

7-story, 68,000 SF tower with 43 residential units, a two level restaurant, and below-grade parking to this bustling urban infill site in Quincy, MA. The building is planned to use mass timber construction with CLT floors, glulam beams and columns, and concrete cores for lateral support.

New single-story, high-bay warehouse structure totaling 135,000sf. The roof of the structure consists of long-span steel roof joists supported by interior steel columns and perimeter precast concrete wall panels. The structure is supported by ground improvement using rigid inclusions. Notable challenges – Integration of the precast wall panels with the building foundation. The uneven grade at a corner of the building created a soil retaining condition which required different retaining wall heights and designs.

Alongside our partners, H+O is repositioning this 100+ yr old office building for life science.

This existing structure was an excellent candidate for life science repositioning:

• Thick brick masonry exterior walls with steel and concrete structure within. The mass of the existing structure allowed us to add heavier roof top equipment to support lab use without triggering a seismic upgrade.
• Floor vibration performance of the existing steel and concrete floors are suitable for the large majority of the life science market.
• 100k+ GSF and large alley access to old freight elevator shaft

Considering repositioning an existing building?

Not all buildings are created equal – schedule a meeting through our contact page to better spot risk and opportunity when acquiring existing assets.

2 building spec warehouse development with a total of 300,000 sf of warehouse and 18,000 sf of office space.

Building A

• 196,975 SF Warehouse
• 12,798 SF Office
• Tilt-Up Construction
• 36’ Clear Height

Building B

• 103,100 SF Warehouse
• 5,000 SF Office
• Tilt-Up Construction
• 36’ Clear Height

New 7-story condo development on Nevins Hill, with 55 new condominium units, outdoor terraces, level 2 amenity deck, and ground floor stacker parking system.

Structural system:

• 6-stories of light gage bearing wall and New Millenium Versa-Dek
  • Versa-Dek slab clear spans to bearing walls with no dropped beams
• Level 2 podium – to transfer light gage bearing walls from condo above
  • Originally designed as post-tensioned concrete to minimize structural depth and fit below high-rise
  • Redesigned as composite steel podium for cost reasons.  Grading was adjusted to accommodate the increased depth.
• Foundations – spread footings on ground improvement

H+O studied various structural systems, in the end, the team landed on the light gage (LGMF) solution in order to fit 7-stories under 70ft.  The 70ft threshold is the high-rise trigger in Massachusetts.

The new residential and learning center was completed in August 2023 and serves as the main campus for Lovell Academy. The academy building is comprised of 49,050 sf, housing eight classrooms, a science lab, an art/music room, and two study centers on the ground level. Sets of 11 double rooms and a chaperone suite for each of the six teams are grouped together in separate hallways on the second and third floors. A full-service cafeteria, two large student lounges, a student health center, and recreation area with an outdoor patio and garden spaces are also located within the facility.

The design team was challenged to create large expansive communal space with tight floor-to-floor elevations and cantilever sections.

5-story, mixed-use development with retail and parking at ground level delivers 36 residential units to Dorchester. Completed in 2020.

Photos by RODE Architects

372,000 SF spec warehouse located in Lunenburg, MA.

Construction:

• Roof – metal roof deck on steel joists and joist girders supported by HSS steel columns
• Perimeter walls – concrete tilt wall construction

Photos courtesy of ARCO.

This eight-story, high-rise, boutique hotel concept will deliver 42 hotel rooms in a low embodied and operational carbon building on a challenging but marquee urban infill site; at the head of the Rose Kennedy Greenway overlooking the North Meadow.

The structure consists most primarily mass timer:

• Floors – CLT with a few glulam beams
• Bearing walls – CLT
• Lateral system – masonry cores

Considering mass timber, or just want to learn more?

Contact us today for our free multifamily mass timber design guide.

5-on-1 podium delivering 47 units of mixed-income housing to the Dorchester neighborhood.

This development is immediately adjacent to The Meeting House, a multifamily development completed by this design and development team.

4-building complex, 3 residential buildings plus a stand-alone clubhouse, with 300 new apartments and amenity space.  Surface parking with standalone single stories row garages.

105,000 sf spec warehouse located in Haverhill, MA.

Construction:

• Roof – metal roof deck on steel joists and joist girders supported by HSS steel columns
• Perimeter walls – concrete tilt wall construction

305,000 SF new construction warehouse, distribution, cGMP space.

3-story 118,000 sft composite steel building with CMU lateral cores. Ground floor commercial space with two stories of office space above. Project note – H+O performed engineering services for all of the four of the five tenants under lease prior to officially opening the building.

6-story 450,000 sft, 299 residential unit, mixed use podium building; 5-story of wood framing over a 1-story composite steel construction podium with a partial subgrade parking garage.

380,000 sf of new construction that will consist of 603 new student housing beds at the Syracuse University campus.  Construction will consist of 5-on-3 podium construction, with below grade parking, amenity space at grade, and 5 levels of Type IIIa wood construction above.  The existing temple will be integrated into the new development.

Renderings by CUBE 3.

6-story 81,000 sft, 85 residential unit, mixed use podium building; 5-story of wood framing over a 1-story composite steel construction podium.

Four 1-story steel framed commercial buildings, as part of the larger Tuscan Village Campus development.

H+O has partnered with Shake Shack on dozens of projects across the country.

200,000sf senior living facility in Cary, NC. 3 stories of residential units above 2 stories of mixed use with additional units, restaurant, public pool, and amenity spaces. Notable challenges – A 2-story glass atrium passed through the 3-hour podium slab, requiring several two-story façade columns and various moveable fire barriers.

4-story 95,000 sft, 35 residential condo units podium building; 3-story of wood framing over a 1-story composite steel construction podium with a subgrade parking garage.

Six building mixed-use, multifamily residential development delivering 78 rental units with complimenting retail and commercial space. This transit-oriented development is adjacent to the MBTA Greenbush Commuter Rail line and just minutes from Scituate Harbor.

Four 1-story steel framed commercial buildings, as part of the larger Tuscan Village Campus development.

50-unit residential development over parking and retail space, with 72,000sf of framed floor/roof area, including a green roof and roof deck. Consists of 3-levels of Type VA wood construction over a 2-level Type 1A composite steel podium. The structure is supported by ground improvement elements consisting of rammed aggregate piers. The narrow shape of the site resulted in a lot of cantilevered conditions at the podium level, resulting in some characteristic steel framing conditions.

Four 1-story steel framed commercial buildings, as part of the larger Tuscan Village Campus development.

Renderings by Market Square Architects

Three residential buildings totaling 305 units, with 335,000 sf of framed floor/roof area. Consists of 4-levels of Type VA wood-framed construction. The development also includes a single-story Type VB wood-framed clubhouse totaling 7000 sf. Notable challenges – Unique roof geometry featuring a combination of hips, gables, and flat roof areas required early coordination and engagement with Eckman. The design team worked collectively to frame the roof in a manner that would create efficiency on site.

5,400 SF commercial building with tuck under parking. The structure consists of 3-story, Type IIB steel construction supported by shallow foundations.

Four 1-story steel framed commercial buildings, as part of the larger Tuscan Village Campus development.

New multi-family residential development over parking space, with 84,600sf of framed floor/roof area. The project consists of 4-levels of Type VA wood construction over a 1-level Type IA post-tensioned concrete podium. The parking level is below finished grade which requires the use of tall cast-in-place concrete retaining walls around the building perimeter. Notable challenges – Through the usage of cantilevering the post-tensioned slab over the perimeter wall, the balconies above could be supported by wood posts.

45 unit multifamily development with approximately 46,000 SF of framed floor/roof area. Consists of 3-levels of wood framed construction over a composite steel framed podium level.

4-story precast parking garage structure with roof top solar array.

6-unit residential development over parking and half basement with 12,000 SF of framed floor/roof area, including roof decks. Consists of 4-levels of Type VA wood construction over a ground floor parking area. Non-ideal soil conditions resulted in incorporating helical piles at the foundation level with grade beams and an 8″ thick structural slab.

325,000 GSF 5-story Type IIIA multifamily residential development. Project will be home to 364 new units and located in downtown Worcester just a few blocks from Union Station.

40,000 GSF affordable housing development constructed in a tight urban zone. This Type VA 4-on 1 composite steel podium will house 33 units and incorporate retail and restaurant space at the ground floor.

Renderings by RODE

This 2-story steel framed structure will be Titleist’s state-of-the-art golf ball research and testing facility.

New Harley Davidson dealership with supporting storage and maintenance facility.

Renderings by HFA.