Maynard Firm Wraps Up Green Warehouse Project
PHOTO/COURTESY
Maynard's JM Coull helped construct this new F.W. Webb warehouse in Boston with state-of-the-art green technology.
Officials with Maynard-based construction management firm J.M. Coull recently helped cut the ribbon on the renovation of a 47,700-square-foot green warehouse space in Boston. The project, which uses a state-of-the-art combined geothermal and solar heating and cooling system, was completed for client F.W. Webb.
The building at 307 Dorchester St. in Boston includes 30 roof-mounted solar panels and a closed-loop geothermal system that work together to heat and cool the building. The building also has a small solar electricity installation at the site, and the latest technology in low-flow toilets, insulation and motion-controlled lights.
For companies like J.M. Coull and F.W. Webb, such green building projects are not necessarily out of the ordinary.
The bigger question, however, is how construction managers like J.M. Coull can get even more clients to embrace being green.
Getting Onboard
Construction activity overall has been picking up recently, said Andy McBeth, a project executive for J.M. Coull, which has an office in Connecticut in addition to its Maynard headquarters.
Competitive prices for construction projects along with pent-up demand for renovation projects seem to be driving the market for the company, he said. J.M. Coull has about 35 employees and collects about $50 million in revenue annually, he said.
But managing a project that embraces the latest in energy efficiency can add complexity and cost to a project and clients know this, he said.
"I get the sense that a lot of customers are very interested in being green," he said. "It's just always a balance between the upfront capital and the payback time."
There are growing pains any business could go through if they are doing a green project for the first time. But the payoff can make it all worthwhile.
The combined geothermal and solar heating, ventilation and air conditioning system J.M. Coull installed for F.W. Webb, for example, could take more than five years to pay off, but for a client who owns the building and expects to be there for a long-period of time, that timeframe works.
Incentives from the state and federal government also help encourage customers to embrace the green technology, McBeth said, though they may not be around forever. There are cash grants available for qualifying solar installation projects from the federal government that are expected to change to a tax credit after the New Year, for example.
He sees his role as informing and guiding customers through the process as they explore if a leading-edge technology could save them money in the long run.
"It's really just about educating the customer about what the benefits are," McBeth said.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments