Archive

27 Jun 2019
0

TFMoran’s President, Robert Duval in Panel Discussion at NEREJ Summit

June 27, 2019 | 0 Comments | ,

TFMoran President Robert Duval recently attended The New England Real Estate Journal Nashua/Manchester/Bedford N.H. Summit at the Courtyard Marriott in Nashua. Robert was included in a panel discussing engineering, construction costs, and architecture. Check out the article in the pdf link NEREJ May 2019 Issue NH Summit  or read the text below.

New England Real Estate Journal Hosts Nashua/Manchester/Bedford N.H. Summit

by Jennifer Tempesta, New England Real Estate Journal

NASHUA, NH The New England Real Estate Journal held their Nashua/Manchester/Bedford N.H. Summit on April 25th at the Event Center at the Courtyard by Marriott Nashua, 2200 Southwood Dr. Over 100 people were in attendance.

The first panel was held from 9 – 10 a.m. and was moderated by Chris Norwood of NAI Norwood Group. Speakers included: Patrick Brady of Cornerstone Realty Capital; Megan Prieto Giokas of Granite Commercial Real Estate; Melanie Sanuth of the Manchester Economic Development Office; and Greg Bryant of Bedford Cost Segregation.

Topics for this panel included: Development of opportunity zones, new development updates and cost segregation.

The panel began with Sanuth speaking about new developments that are up-and-coming in Manchester. She mentioned how this will be the year of hospitals. Other new developments include the Red Oaks Apartments and The Factory on Willow, a mixed-use development.

For the Bedford area Giokas mentioned the new Market and Main, which is a 16-acre, class A mixed-use retail development.

On the private side of development, Brady spoke about the challenges with return on equity. “The high cost of land and the high side of construction is certainly the reason why there isn’t as much deal flow as maybe there was in 2014 and 2016,” he said.

In regards to the challenges regarding identifying properties that are available and have appreciation opportunities, Giokas said, “People are trying to identify opportunities, but until the final regulations come into place, it is difficult to tell their investors ‘let’s do this’ the way the rules keep changing.”

Bryant spoke on the finance side of appreciation. He mentioned the Tangible Property Regulations as of 2014. “What those regulations did was they gave you some guidance in terms of whether you are able to capitalize or expense certain incoming assets.”

Norwood asked the panel what they are seeing for pricing on new construction. Brady responded, “The only way to make money in this market is to be adding value.”

Sanuth is seeing more opportunities in public/private partnerships, and feels positive about the future in New Hampshire.

The second panel was held from 10 – 11 a.m. and was moderated by Philip Hastings of Cleveland, Waters and Bass, P.A. Speakers included: Greg Stewart of Jewett Construction Co.; Robert Duval of TFMoran; and Laura Homich of Prellwitz Chilinski Associates. Topics for this panel included: Engineering, construction costs and architecture.

Hastings opened the panel mentioning how financing and land is available, but the cost of construction is so high. Duval expressed how there are challenges, especially in the wetlands areas. He said, “There is going to be a tightening down of regulations, to the point where it will become increasingly difficult to develop sites.” He notes to get involved early and do your homework upfront to help with the process.

Next, on the topic of construction costs, Stewart noted that one of the biggest factors is the shortage of labor. “Right now what is driving all costs is the shortage of labor, whether it is construction, manufacturing or technology,” he said.

Stewart mentioned the need to start educating the youth, schools and parents, because there is a high level of opportunity in the construction field.

Another factor for construction costs is the weather, living in New England. Need to start planning for the trends away from the typical calendar of seasons.

The panel agreed the way to value engineering and save on construction costs is to use everybody’s skill set throughout the design process, including the construction, design, engineering and owner’s teams.

On the topic of new innovations to help manage these costs, Stewart spoke about prefabrication. “Prefab systems allows for a less skilled labor. All the components are being built in a shop, which is a team environment. It also cuts down on waste at a job site, so innovations, such as prefab is something that I can see as a real future to cutting costs down the road.”

Homich discussed the innovations she sees on the structural side includes cross-laminated timber.

Duval noted that structural systems are always evolving. There are composites being used now. “Hire professionals that are keeping up with the market.”

Software innovations include: • 3-D modeling such as Revit, which helps with seeing conflicts in projects; • Virtual reality; and • Procore for construction management.

These all help owners and developers in the design process and with permitting.

At the end of the panel, Duval said, “In any sizeable development, consider mixed-use if at all possible. You are making much more efficient use of the space, you can increase the density of development and you can reduce the traffic, because there are multi-purpose trips.”

Homich said, “Ultimately, what we are trying to do on any circumstance, especially when it comes to mixed-use in the town and master planning, is to create a place where it enables people to have a great time.”

24 Jun 2019
0

Congratulations to 603 Brewery and Beer Hall, now open at Woodmont Commons!

June 24, 2019 | 0 Comments |

On June 15, the new 603 Brewery and Beer Hall opened its doors at Woodmont Commons in Londonderry, NH. The new 18,000sf brewery and 200-seat restaurant with indoor/outdoor dining is the first building to be completed at the new mixed-use development. TFMoran provided civil and structural engineering services for the brewery which was designed by McHenry Architecture and built by Harvey Construction. Congratulations and best wishes to the owners of 603 Brewery on your beautiful new facility! To read more about the opening, link to this pdf  Union Leader June 23 2019 Sunday News

The second building of Phase 1 at Woodmont Commons is nearing completion. Located on Main Street next to the 603 Brewery is a new four-story, 87-unit apartment building with 23,000sf of retail space on the ground level. TFMoran provided civil and structural engineering services for this project which is being constructed by Performance Building Company.

Woodmont Commons is a new mixed-use development designed to be an urban village-style, walkable community in the rural countryside on over 600 acres. This unique multi-phased development is located off of I-93 Exit 4 and will include housing, retail stores, restaurants, office space, and amenities. TFMoran is working with Pillsbury Realty Development in providing civil and site engineering services, which included Michels Way, a new road connecting Garden Lane, and Pillsbury Road. The architect of record Shook Kelley of Charlotte, N.C., helped prepare the planned unit development (PUD) overall master plan. Attorney Ari Pollack of Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell provided legal work for permitting and contracts for the development.

07 Jun 2019
0

TFM Structural Project featured in High-Profile’s Healthcare Issue

June 7, 2019 | 0 Comments | ,

The June issue of High-Profile included a story on one of TFMoran’s recent structural engineering projects in Windham, NH. Medicus Healthcare Solutions three-building office complex is nearing completion. TFMoran has received an Excellence Award for the structural engineering from the Structural Engineers of New Hampshire for this project.  We invite you to read the article below, or view the article by clicking on this pdf link:  High-Profile June 2019_Structural Engineering Award

 

TFMoran Receives Award for Medicus Healthcare

Bedford, NH – TFMoran recently received the Structural Engineers of New Hampshire Excellence in Structural Engineering Award for Medicus Healthcare Solutions in the “Buildings” category.

Berard-Martel Architecture of Bedford is the project architect. Safari Construction Management, LLC of Windham is the general contractor.

Medicus Healthcare Solutions is nearing completion on the third phase of the newly constructed three building office complex.

The buildings contain approximately 100,000 sf of office space and are all connected by enclosed pedestrian bridges at the second floor. Each building is framed of a hybrid system of insulated concrete formed (ICF) walls and steel open web floor joists, beams and columns. The building is founded on concrete spread footings.

ICF walls at the exterior were chosen as an economical and energy-efficient solution in lieu of the typical steel frame and metal stud curtain wall system used on most office buildings.

The wall systems provided several benefits including a robust lateral load resisting system, ICF formed brick shelf, increased flexibility with façade material installation, and simplicity of connections between buildings.

TFMoran engineers produced a three-dimensional structural model for the design of the buildings. The model was then imported into Building Information Modeling software to produce the structural drawings for the project.

 

14 May 2019
0

“Embracing Mixed-Use Development” by TFM President Robert Duval featured in May issue of High-Profile

May 14, 2019 | 0 Comments | , ,

Landscape Architecture and Civil Engineering was the Focus for High-Profile‘s May 2019 issue. TFMoran’s president, Robert Duval, PE, was featured as an Industry Expert in this special section, writing about the advantages for a mixed-use development. Using one of TFMoran’s high-profile examples of mixed-use, Market and Main in Bedford, NH (currently under construction), he quoted TFMoran’s Senior Landscape Architect, Michael Krzeminski, PLA explaining how he designs to provide a pedestrian-friendly experience. To view the story, click this link High-Profile May 2019_Embracing Mixed-Use Development or read below:

Embracing Mixed-Use Development
by Robert E. Duval

Adopted from urban environments, across the country, the mixed-use development concept is making its way into many smaller cities and towns in New England. These developments encompass a wide range of uses, including commercial, residential, cultural, institutional, and industrial uses in to an integrated whole.

Civil engineering benefits of integrated development include reduced traffic volumes, minimized parking needs, reduced stormwater flows, and greater density. Studies have shown that onsite parking supplies can be reduced by 10% or more because parking can be shared. Reduced parking cuts construction costs by reducing the amount of pavement as well as the extent of stormwater infrastructure needed to capture, detain, and treat pavement runoff.

Greater land use density can be achieved by avoiding internal line setbacks where multiple properties are combined into a single development. The result of this is efficiently designed parking and reduced need for land area, reduced construction costs, and minimized stormwater infrastructure and runoff.

Landscape architecture also plays a critical role in successful mixed-use development. Each building needs to be placed so as to provide convenient, attractive, and safe pedestrian travel between all other uses. “Walking distance” in New England is approximately 1,400 feet (about 7 minutes’ walk). This figure is dependent on the ease of travel; having a clear, direct path with an attractive walking environment improves walkability and the volume of foot traffic. Landscape architects must work closely with site engineers to create these easily traversable pedestrian routes.

Market and Main, a 350,000sf, upscale mixed-use center currently under construction in the town of Bedford, N.H., is a prime example. Located at the former Macy’s site on U.S. Route 3, TFMoran’s civil engineers and landscape architects worked closely with the developers to provide a pedestrian-friendly experience. “We designed the landscape to include pavered furniture strips along the sidewalks with ample seating and bike racks,” said Mike Krzeminski, one of TFMoran’s senior landscape architects. “Tree grates, along with structural planting soil, have been worked into the sidewalk design to create rhythm, shade, and sustainability for the trees,” continues Krzeminski. “The pedestrian environment is further enhanced by a central green, with pergolas and seating walls to create an outdoor gathering place for all to enjoy.” The first two retail buildings, Trader Joe’s and The Friendly Toast, are now open. The development plans include a 600-seat deluxe cinema, an office building, a hotel, a variety of restaurants and retail shops, and two parking garages.

The benefits of mixed-use developments are being recognized by many community planners. As these communities embrace mixed-use developments in their zoning codes, we can expect to see increasing prosperity and vibrancy in the central cores of our New England cities and towns.

Robert E. Duval, PE, LEED AP, is president and chief engineer at TFMoran, Inc., Bedford, N.H.

09 May 2019
0

TFMoran’s Nick Golon represents NH’s Civil Engineers in Washington, DC

May 9, 2019 | 0 Comments | , ,

American Society of Civil Engineers New Hampshire Section’s newsletter featured a TFMoran civil and structural engineering project on the May 2019 cover, Southern New Hampshire University’s millyard parking garage in downtown Manchester. This 6-story, 1,700-car parking garage is currently under construction along the Merrimack River near the Fisher Cats stadium. It will provide parking for SNHU’s on-line program staff and administrative offices housed in the adjacent Langer mill building. The parking garage is being built by Harvey Construction and is ahead of schedule for completion.

ASCE NH Section’s May 2019 newsletter The New Hampshire Civil Engineer features a story entitled “2019 Legislative Fly-In” by Nicholas Golon, PE. Nick is one of TFMoran’s Senior Project Managers, as well as Treasurer of ASCE-NH Section. He was one of three engineers representing New Hampshire who traveled to DC to meet with NH representatives. Click this link ASCE NH May 2019 Newsletter – Legislative Fly-In to view the story, or read the text below:

2019 Legislative Fly-In
By Nicholas Golon, PE

Every spring, ASCE holds its Legislative Fly-In Program in Washington, DC, an intensive two-day program that provides participants with an inside look at the public policy process. This year ASCE members from all 50 states and Puerto Rico brought their message to over 310 Members of Congress on Wednesday March 13th, advocating for a variety of infrastructure solutions at the annual Legislative Fly- In. This year’s New Hampshire delegation was made up of President Logan Johnson, President-Elect Mike Bogue, and Treasurer, Nick Golon, shown below with NH U.S. Representative, Annie Kuster.

The NH delegation expressed to our elected officials and their staff a core ASCE belief that all infrastructure programs, and projects supported by infrastructure investment legislation, need to meet the following fundamental criteria:

  • Investments must provide substantial, longterm benefits to the public and the economy;
  • The cost of a project over its entire life span – including designing, building, operating, and maintaining the infrastructure – must be taken into account
  • Projects should be built sustainably and resiliently;
  • Federal investment should leverage state, local, and private investment, not replace these other critical sources of infrastructure funding.

Although the principles for infrastructure Investment was an important issue, perhaps the most vital message brought forth to Capital Hill by the ASCE membership was the advocacy argument for fixing the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). The HTF is the main funding source for the federal government’s investments in highway and transit infrastructure. The HTF is primarily funded through the federal motor fuels tax, or gas tax, of 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel. Although the federal gas tax is the main source for the Highway Trust Fund, Congress hasn’t raised the gas tax since Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were “Sleepless in Seattle”, Bill Murray was trapped in “Groundhog Day”, “Cheers” aired its series finale, and Bill Nye began his fame as the Science Guy. If the references don’t do anything for you, it was 1993!

ASCE members strongly urged Congress to fix the HTF to provide long-term stability and modernize our nation’s roads, bridges, and transit systems for the 21st century. To address the surface transportation funding shortfall, and chronic underinvestment, ASCE supports raising the motor fuels user tax by 5 cents per gallon for the next five years and indexing it to inflation.

As one ASCE member remarked to NH Congressmen Chris Pappas, “You want to get out of the hole? First, you’re going to have to put down the shovel.” Yes, this is quote was attributed to one of their kid’s favorite movies, Incredibles 2, but the lesson parallels the infrastructure investment gap and raising the gas tax is the equivalent of the first necessary step, putting down the shovel. Failing to close the infrastructure investment gap means higher costs for businesses to manufacture and distribute goods and provide services. In turn, these higher costs get passed along to workers and families.

Learn more about the Highway Trust Fund at www.FIxTheTrustFund.org

 

 

26 Apr 2019
0

TFM’s President Robert Duval speaks at the NEREJ 2019 NH Summit

April 26, 2019 | 0 Comments | ,

New England Real Estate Journal held a Nashua/Bedford/Manchester, NH area Summit on April 25, 2019 at the Courtyard by Marriott Event Center in Nashua. The event gave attendees an opportunity to network and covered important commercial real estate related topics and issues.

TFMoran’s President and Chief Engineer, Robert Duval, PE, was on a panel of speakers covering the topic of”Engineering, Constructions Costs, Architecture”. He used examples from Market and Main ,as well as the SNHU Millyard Parking Garage in his discussion to highlight changing trends in the redevelopment industry. Market and Main and the SNHU Millyard Parking Garage were also featured on the promotional material for the event. A second panel of speakers covered the topic “Development Opportunity Zones, New Development Updates, Cost Segregation”.

Thank you to the New England Real Estate Journal for putting on this great event. TFMoran was glad to be one of the Summit sponsors.

18 Apr 2019
0

Union Leader features first tenant at Woodmont Commons mixed-use development

April 18, 2019 | 0 Comments | , ,

Woodmont Commons, one of TFMoran’s mixed-use engineering projects, was featured in the Union Leader on April 17, 2019. The article released the name of the first tenant who is relocating to Woodmont Commons. 603 Brewery’s new 18,000sf facility, located on the new Main Street of Woodmont Commons, is nearing completion! The building will feature a tasting room, a 100-seat restaurant, and plenty of room for 603 to continue to brew their beverages. TFMoran provided civil/site engineering and structural design for 603 Brewery. The brewery was designed by McHenry Architecture and Harvey Construction is the general contractor. To read the article from the Union Leader, open the PDF here or read the text below.

603 Brewery relocating to become first tenant at Londonderry’s Woodmont Commons

Relocating: The new facility is expected to increase brewing capacity and include a beer hall.

By RYAN LESSARD Union Leader Correspondent Apr 16, 2019

LONDONDERRY—603 Brewery is starting to brew beer at its new 18,000-square-foot facility at 42 Main St. this month.

The address will be the first space at the Woodmont Commons development to see active occupants, according to developer Michael Kettenbach.

Brewery spokesman Morgan Kyle said the company, currently located at 12 Liberty Drive, will be gradually relocating between spring and early summer. The Liberty Drive location will remain open during the transition.

“We will start to slowly move operations over to the new building to ease the transition,” Kyle said. “We will start brewing in the new facility this month.”

The new custom-built brewhouse is expected to triple the company’s current brewing capacity. It will also include a large beer hall. “The beer hall will seat over 100 people, with additional seating in an outdoor beer garden and private function room,” Kyle wrote in a press release.

“The brewery will continue to run with their popular counter-service model and will offer a food menu, beers on tap, as well as retail merchandise and beers-to-go.”

Brewery co-founder Geoff Hewes said the goal of the beer hall is to offer the community a fun and casual setting to experience their craft beer and food.

“We look forward to expanding our ability to serve New Hampshire, both through our wholesale and retail partners, as well as by creating a destination for locals and tourists,” Hewes said in an emailed statement.

Part of the moving process will be transporting stainless steel, 30-to-60-barrel fermentation tanks from the old facility to the new one. Kyle said the new brewhouse is set up more efficiently, letting them get more done in a day than they could before.

The building also has a grain silo that holds up to 60,000 pounds of grain.

As part of the transition, the company is looking to hire more than half a dozen full-time and part-time employees. A job fair has been scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. at the Liberty Drive address.

The brewery distributes in New Hampshire with Bellavance Beverage Company and New Hampshire Distributors, in Vermont with Calmont Beverage, and in Massachusetts through Horizon Beverage.

17 Apr 2019
0

TFMoran’s President, Robert Duval, and mixed-use development Market and Main, featured in Business NH Magazine

April 17, 2019 | 0 Comments | , , ,

Business NH Magazine featured a TFMoran engineering project, Market and Main in their April 2019 edition. Market and Main is the new upscale mixed-use redevelopment of the former Macy’s site in Bedford. The first retail stores, Trader Joe’s and The Friendly Toast, are now complete, with more businesses on the way. Market and Main was the headline rendering for the BNH article titled “Engineering Firms Navigate Changing Economy” written by Melanie Plenda. TFMoran’s President and Chief Engineer, Robert Duval, PE was asked by Ms. Plenda what his thoughts are on the subject of the small retail sector. Below is an excerpt from the article:

“Small Retail Sector Is Strong”

“Robert Duval, president of TFMoran in Bedford, echoes this sentiment, saying that they’ve seen the growth in retail and commercial markets. While firms are not seeing construction of big-box stores like they were several years ago, they are seeing an uptick in mixed-use and small retail.

Duval points to one of TFMoran’s projects, Market and Main in Bedford, as an example. ‘[Market and Main] is indicative of moving toward more mixed-use centers,’ Duval says. ‘Whereas maybe 10 years ago or so, it would’ve been strictly a retail development. Now, it’s a combination of retail and commercial hospitality.’”

To read the full article open the PDF here .

04 Apr 2019
0

Woodmont Commons Featured in High Profile’s April Issue

April 4, 2019 | 0 Comments | , ,

Woodmont Commons was featured in High Profile’s April 2019 edition. TFMoran has been working with developers, providing civil, site, and structural engineering for the first phase of the development, which includes an 87-unit apartment building with retail space below and the new 603 Brewery location. These projects are well under way and have been progressing steadily towards completion. To read the full article from High Profile, open the PDF here or read the text below.

Construction Well Underway at Woodmont Commons

Londonderry, NH – Construction is well underway for the first two building projects in Phase 1 at Woodmont Commons in Londonderry. A new four-story, 87-unit apartment building with 23,000sf of retail space on the first floor is being constructed by Performance Building Company. The architect of record is Shook Kelley, with Gavin and Sullivan Architects providing additional design services for various projects within Phase 1. Also under construction is a new 17,000sf brewery and 200-seat restaurant with indoor/outdoor dining. 603 Brewery was designed by McHenry Architecture and is being built by Harvey Construction. TFMoran provided civil and structural engineering services for both buildings. Woodmont Commons is a new mixed-use development designed to be an urban village-style, walkable community in the rural countryside on over 600 acres. This unique multi-phased development is located off of I-93 Exit 4 and will include housing, retail stores, restaurants, office space, and amenities. TFMoran is working with Pillsbury Realty Development in providing civil and site engineering services, which included Michels Way, a new road connecting Garden Lane, and Pillsbury Road. The architect of record Shook Kelley of Charlotte, N.C., helped prepare the planned unit development (PUD) overall master plan. Attorney Ari Pollack of Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell provided legal work for permitting and contracts for the development.

11 Mar 2019
0

The Derryfield School’s new Athletic Center featured in HP’s March Issue

March 11, 2019 | 0 Comments |

One of TFMoran’s civil and structural engineering school projects is featured in High-Profile’s March issue. To read/view the story click this pdf link  High-Profile March 2019 Page 17 or read text below.

March 2019  High-Profile Focus: Schools & Institutions

TFMoran Designs Athletic Center

Manchester, NH – Construction is well underway for a new 42,000sf, two-story Athletic & Wellness Center at The Derryfield School, a private day school for grades 6-12 offering competitive athletics, challenging academic programs, fine and performing arts, and a wide array of extracurricular activities.

This new facility, representing Phase 1 of a comprehensive campus master plan, will house the school’s relocated basketball courts, locker rooms, weight room, and offices for the athletic director and trainers.

In addition to this new building, other improvements during this first phase will include the renovation and expansion of classrooms and lab spaces in the existing upper school building and the relocation of the school’s existing tennis courts to a new site located across from the main campus on North River Road. Improved parking facilities and vehicle and pedestrian circulation routes throughout the campus are also part of the first phase.

Cowan Goudreau Architects of Concord designed the new center to complement the school’s existing facilities, with a shingle-clad exterior and multilevel footprint stepped into the sloping topography of the site.

TFMoran of Bedford provided civil/ site design, structural design, permitting, landscape architecture, and surveying services for the project.

The general contractor, Eckman Construction, anticipates a fall 2019 completion.