MAYNARD, MA — JM Coull (JMC) has completed the design-build construction of Primetals Technologies’ new 183,000-square-foot $30-million manufacturing and office facility. Located in the South Sutton, Massachusetts, Industrial Park site along and visible to Route 146, the building is a modern and spacious facility that houses the company’s manufacturing, engineering, and sales operations. A joint venture between Mistubishi Heavy Industries and partners, Primetals Technologies is a leader in metallurgical plant solutions.

JMC’s design-build team included studio TROIKA as architect, Andrews Survey & Engineering as civil engineer, RRC Engineering as structural engineer, and design-build subcontractors Hampshire Fire Protection, Garabedian Plumbing & Heating, Tech Mechanical (HVAC), and Interstate Electrical Services. The project was completed by JMC in just over one year from breaking ground, including pandemic-related disruptions near the end. Scannell Properties (Indianapolis, Indiana) developed the project on behalf of Primetals Technologies.

“Our StartSmart Preconstruction Program played a pivotal role in shaping the direction of this project,” said JMC President Andy Coull. “Originally envisioned as a renovation of Primetals Technologies’ existing Worcester facility, it was determined during the preconstruction process that the company would be better served from an efficiency and operating cost standpoint by relocating to a new facility.”

The building’s shell was constructed of insulated precast concrete panels. A 143,000-square-foot high-bay open manufacturing factory comprises the majority of the new facility. The factory features 50-foot by 50-foot column spacing and an eight-inch-thick, double-reinforced concrete slab and was designed to provide Primetals Technologies with ample room for expanding its technologies in custom-tailored plant equipment and services for metal producers. Additionally, the facility includes a 40,000-square-foot, two-story office building. The space fosters close collaboration between engineering and manufacturing functions, which had previously been located in separate facilities in Worcester.

The project is located on a 16-acre site and required an extensive sitework package to create a level, at-grade earthen foundation on which to build. Much of the existing soil was unsuitable for reuse. Items that had once been buried on site, including truck parts and telephone poles, were discovered during excavation and had to be disposed of before suitable fill could be brought on site. In total, 60,000 yards of new material was used to establish the site. A 22-foot-high engineered retaining wall was also constructed.

JM Coull is a construction management and design-build firm specializing in new construction and renovations for the commercial, industrial/manufacturing, life sciences, advanced technology, health care, education, and institutional markets. The firm uses an integrated approach to project management and focuses attention on the early phases of a project, using its proprietary StartSmart process, to ensure overall success. The company works throughout New England from its headquarters in Maynard, Massachusetts.