FROM THE FIELD – INTERVIEW WITH MATT WILDER

Matt recently wrapped up construction of Mass Crane & Hoist’s new corporate headquarters in Tyngsborough. We sat down with him to learn more about the project.

1. Tell us a little bit about the Mass Crane project

Over the last several years, Mass Crane’s business has grown exponentially, so they needed a bigger facility to accommodate their increased operations. This new corporate headquarters building for Mass Crane is a 50,000 square foot pre-engineered metal building. More than double the size of its former location, this new facility contains office, manufacturing, meeting space, and eating areas.

2. Are there any special features/unique materials?

There are a lot of unique and interesting aspects of this building, including a sophisticated, multi-zone sound masking system throughout the office space to minimize distracting noise and increase privacy. The two-story grand lobby features an open staircase with polished concrete, stainless steel, and frameless glass with a mezzanine overlooking the lower level.

Outside, the unique design of the front entrance includes three-inch insulated metal panels comprised of different shapes, sizes, textures, and colors and a two-story glass curtain wall entrance. The manufacturing space includes five bridge cranes – like those built and sold by Mass Crane – multiple welding stations, a large capacity paint booth, a high-volume exhaust and ventilation system, and over 50 foot-candles of lighting. For the floor, Mass Crane needed the slab to be flat and strong. Senate exceeded the requirements for both flatness and levelness and specified Forta-Fiber and Ashford Formula Concrete Densifier, which resulted in a strong slab with a very hard surface to accommodate Mass Crane’s heavy manufacturing procedures.

3. Were there any unique challenges you overcame?

The site contained a significant amount of ledge. During preconstruction, it was discovered that the original placement of the building was going to require a lot of blasting, which is both timely and costly. So, the site was surveyed and it was determined that it would be best to reposition the building on the site. By simply angling it slightly and moving it over just twenty feet, most of the ledge was avoided and the integrity of the design was preserved. This small change delivered the owner a significant savings.

Installing the 65 foot-long paint booth was also a big undertaking. The inclusion of this booth – which will greatly increase Mass Crane’s productivity – required the facility to go through extensive approvals and permitting with the DEP. Working closely with the Town and the DEP, Mass Crane successfully satisfied all requirements for compliance without any negative impact to the project or the schedule.  

4. What was your favorite part about this project?

This was a really great team to work with. George Frost and his executive team had a vision for this project and we worked collaboratively from the beginning to ensure we would make it a reality. There was a mutual respect and they trusted our expertise and we did our best to ensure their trust in us paid off. I’m proud of how we delivered on the owner’s vision and, for me, that’s what makes a job really rewarding and successful

Congratulations to Matt & his team on their excellent work on this challenging project! Check out a few photos Desroches Photography shot last week.