Code Red Consultants
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Experience: Service: Fire Protection & Life Safety Code Consulting

Partners Healthcare Office Building

Partners Healthcare’s new administrative office is located in Somerville’s Assembly Square and offers 825,000 SF of administrative office space and a 2,000-car parking garage adjacent to the new Assembly Row Orange Line MBTA station. The building will house 4,500 employees and also includes 100,000 SF of future retail space. Suffolk Construction Company was the project’s general contractor, and Gensler was the architect. Code Red Consultants served as the design team’s code consultant as well as the project’s smoke control special inspector and consultant to phased occupancy. Code Red Consultants’ team worked closely with project stakeholders and the City of Somerville to develop a code compliant approach that allowed the design to achieve the desired open concept office space. The firm demonstrated the code approach to the City of Somerville using life safety drawings that illustrated the compliant use of unprotected vertical openings, horizontal exits, and occupied roof decks.

Location

Somerville, Mass.

Size

825,000 SF

Cost

$465 million

Completion

2016

Photography Credit

GateHouse Media/Somerville Journal

Partners Healthcare Office Building

Partners Healthcare’s new administrative office is located in Somerville’s Assembly Square and offers 825,000 SF of administrative office space and a 2,000-car parking garage adjacent to the new Assembly Row Orange Line MBTA station. The building will house 4,500 employees and also includes 100,000 SF of future retail space. Suffolk Construction Company was the project’s general contractor, and Gensler was the architect. Code Red Consultants served as the design team’s code consultant as well as the project’s smoke control special inspector and consultant to phased occupancy. Code Red Consultants’ team worked closely with project stakeholders and the City of Somerville to develop a code compliant approach that allowed the design to achieve the desired open concept office space. The firm demonstrated the code approach to the City of Somerville using life safety drawings that illustrated the compliant use of unprotected vertical openings, horizontal exits, and occupied roof decks.

One Patriots Park – Repositioning for Lab/Office

Code Red Consultants served as the code consultant to The Richmond Group for the shell/core upgrades that repositioned an existing two-story, 144,000 SF mixed-use office building for a life science company tenant. The firm’s services included development of an existing building investigation and evaluation code compliance approach report, drawing reviews, control area strategy development, and participation in building and fire official meetings. Code Red Consultants also served in the same consulting capacity to R.E. Dinneen Architects and Planners as part of a tenant fit-out project in the building. For that project, Code Red Consultants’ services included implementation of the control area strategy and development of an NFPA 45 laboratory unit compliance approach.

Location

Bedford, Mass.

Size

144,000 SF

Cost

N/A

Completion

2018

Rending Credit

Spagnolo Gisness & Associates

One Patriots Park – Repositioning for Lab/Office

Code Red Consultants served as the code consultant to The Richmond Group for the shell/core upgrades that repositioned an existing two-story, 144,000 SF mixed-use office building for a life science company tenant. The firm’s services included development of an existing building investigation and evaluation code compliance approach report, drawing reviews, control area strategy development, and participation in building and fire official meetings. Code Red Consultants also served in the same consulting capacity to R.E. Dinneen Architects and Planners as part of a tenant fit-out project in the building. For that project, Code Red Consultants’ services included implementation of the control area strategy and development of an NFPA 45 laboratory unit compliance approach.

North Shore Medical Center Consolidation

North Shore Medical Center (NSMC), a community hospital in the Partners HealthCare system, is undergoing a 255,000 SF expansion and renovation project on its Salem, Mass. campus. The $207 million project includes a new 118,000 SF building for the emergency department and a family-centered medical/surgical inpatient unit, as well as a 137,000 SF renovation of the former Spaulding North Shore building to expand NSMC’s behavioral health services for children, adolescents, adults and seniors. With the goal of improving care and coordination across a wide spectrum of health services, the project consolidates NSMC’s hospital-based medical, surgical and behavioral health services on its Salem Hospital campus to create a robust regional facility for inpatient and emergency care.

Designed by Shepley Bulfinch and constructed by Walsh Brothers, Inc., the new building includes a new 64,000 SF emergency department with dedicated areas for adult and pediatric care, separate treatment space for adult behavioral health patients, and 24 new private inpatient rooms on a medical/surgical floor. The renovated building provides 90 behavioral health beds to serve children, adolescents, adults and seniors, increasing NSMC’s mental health treatment capacity by 36 percent and adding 24 much-needed beds to the community.

Code Red Consultants’ services included development of a comprehensive code report, preparation of life safety plans, and coordination with design team members and Authorities Having Jurisdiction on all code compliance facets of the project. The building was designed and permitted under the 8th Edition of the Mass. State Building Code, which required smoke dampers to be provided at the HVAC penetrations of all smoke barrier walls – a feature no longer required under newer code editions. Code Red Consultants pursued and was granted a variance to omit the smoke dampers at all smoke barrier penetrations on the basis of the newer code language. This accepted solution saved the hospital considerable expense in installation costs as well as significant inspection, testing, and maintenance costs over the life of the building.

Location

Salem, Mass.

Size

255,000 SF

Cost

$207 million

Completion

2019 (proposed)

North Shore Medical Center Consolidation

North Shore Medical Center (NSMC), a community hospital in the Partners HealthCare system, is undergoing a 255,000 SF expansion and renovation project on its Salem, Mass. campus. The $207 million project includes a new 118,000 SF building for the emergency department and a family-centered medical/surgical inpatient unit, as well as a 137,000 SF renovation of the former Spaulding North Shore building to expand NSMC’s behavioral health services for children, adolescents, adults and seniors. With the goal of improving care and coordination across a wide spectrum of health services, the project consolidates NSMC’s hospital-based medical, surgical and behavioral health services on its Salem Hospital campus to create a robust regional facility for inpatient and emergency care.

Designed by Shepley Bulfinch and constructed by Walsh Brothers, Inc., the new building includes a new 64,000 SF emergency department with dedicated areas for adult and pediatric care, separate treatment space for adult behavioral health patients, and 24 new private inpatient rooms on a medical/surgical floor. The renovated building provides 90 behavioral health beds to serve children, adolescents, adults and seniors, increasing NSMC’s mental health treatment capacity by 36 percent and adding 24 much-needed beds to the community.

Code Red Consultants’ services included development of a comprehensive code report, preparation of life safety plans, and coordination with design team members and Authorities Having Jurisdiction on all code compliance facets of the project. The building was designed and permitted under the 8th Edition of the Mass. State Building Code, which required smoke dampers to be provided at the HVAC penetrations of all smoke barrier walls – a feature no longer required under newer code editions. Code Red Consultants pursued and was granted a variance to omit the smoke dampers at all smoke barrier penetrations on the basis of the newer code language. This accepted solution saved the hospital considerable expense in installation costs as well as significant inspection, testing, and maintenance costs over the life of the building.

New England Baptist Hospital Medical Campus

Code Red Consultants has served as New England Baptist Hospital’s fire protection and life safety code consultant since the firm’s founding in 2013. Services provided include performing annual statement of condition assessments, life safety drawing preparation, fire door inspections, fire stopping inspections, oversight of fire protection and life safety system maintenance and testing, and services associated with assisting the hospital in maintaining Joint Commission and Center for Medicare and Medicaid regulatory compliance. In addition to these services, Code Red Consultants has worked on a number of renovation projects at NEBH, for which the firm has provided fire alarm and sprinkler design and NFPA 241 Construction Fire Safety Plans. The campus of New England Baptist Hospital includes healthcare spaces as well as business occupancies and assembly occupancies dating back to the late 1800’s.

Location

Boston, Mass.

Size

Various

Cost

N/A

Completion

Ongoing

Photography Credit

New England Baptist Hospital

New England Baptist Hospital Medical Campus

Code Red Consultants has served as New England Baptist Hospital’s fire protection and life safety code consultant since the firm’s founding in 2013. Services provided include performing annual statement of condition assessments, life safety drawing preparation, fire door inspections, fire stopping inspections, oversight of fire protection and life safety system maintenance and testing, and services associated with assisting the hospital in maintaining Joint Commission and Center for Medicare and Medicaid regulatory compliance. In addition to these services, Code Red Consultants has worked on a number of renovation projects at NEBH, for which the firm has provided fire alarm and sprinkler design and NFPA 241 Construction Fire Safety Plans. The campus of New England Baptist Hospital includes healthcare spaces as well as business occupancies and assembly occupancies dating back to the late 1800’s.

MBTA Wollaston Station Improvements

The MBTA Wollaston Station Improvement project involves a full station modernization with major accessibility improvements, state-of-the-art safety features, and enhancements to the adjacent site/parking lot. The renovation project, part of the $911 million investment committed to improve the South Side Red Line, is the first major upgrade since the Wollaston Station opened in 1971. Currently, the station is the only non-ADA accessible station on the Red Line. The goal of the project is to fully modernize the facility with accessibility and code upgrades to bring the building into compliance and make the Red Line 100 percent accessible.

Features to the station include three new elevators, two new escalators, two additional stairways, new bathrooms, energy efficient lighting, and additional customer paths to/from the station. New electrical, fire protection, security, flooding mitigation, and site utility upgrades will also occur to support the accessibility improvements.

Code Red Consultants was engaged early in the design process to evaluate the compliance of the existing station in accordance with Massachusetts State Building Code, NFPA 130, and Architectural Access Board Regulations. The means of egress from the station was evaluated in accordance with NFPA 130 and was found to provide an insufficient number of exits and egress width from the platform. The accessibility of the station was also largely non-compliant.

One of the most significant challenges was addressing this single exit from the platform, which is centrally located between two tracks with substantial site constraints as it is elevated above grade. Code Red Consultants collaborated with the architect Kleinfelder to provide an egress path that goes up and over the tracks as a second compliant egress. Our firm’s evaluation helped dictate and shape the additional stairs and egress paths, as well as accessible routes to the platform, required to bring the facility into compliance.

Location

Quincy, Mass.

Size

N/A

Cost

$33 million

Completion

2020

Photography Credit

Wikipedia Creative Commons

MBTA Wollaston Station Improvements

The MBTA Wollaston Station Improvement project involves a full station modernization with major accessibility improvements, state-of-the-art safety features, and enhancements to the adjacent site/parking lot. The renovation project, part of the $911 million investment committed to improve the South Side Red Line, is the first major upgrade since the Wollaston Station opened in 1971. Currently, the station is the only non-ADA accessible station on the Red Line. The goal of the project is to fully modernize the facility with accessibility and code upgrades to bring the building into compliance and make the Red Line 100 percent accessible.

Features to the station include three new elevators, two new escalators, two additional stairways, new bathrooms, energy efficient lighting, and additional customer paths to/from the station. New electrical, fire protection, security, flooding mitigation, and site utility upgrades will also occur to support the accessibility improvements.

Code Red Consultants was engaged early in the design process to evaluate the compliance of the existing station in accordance with Massachusetts State Building Code, NFPA 130, and Architectural Access Board Regulations. The means of egress from the station was evaluated in accordance with NFPA 130 and was found to provide an insufficient number of exits and egress width from the platform. The accessibility of the station was also largely non-compliant.

One of the most significant challenges was addressing this single exit from the platform, which is centrally located between two tracks with substantial site constraints as it is elevated above grade. Code Red Consultants collaborated with the architect Kleinfelder to provide an egress path that goes up and over the tracks as a second compliant egress. Our firm’s evaluation helped dictate and shape the additional stairs and egress paths, as well as accessible routes to the platform, required to bring the facility into compliance.

MathWorks Lakeside Campus

MathWorks, the leading developer of mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists, significantly increased its office space with the opening of its new Lakeside Campus, the company’s second campus in Natick, Mass. The new campus features 513,000 SF of office space on 31 acres, with amenities including a café, dry cleaning, barber shop, a fitness and wellness center, and a one-mile walking path. The four-story office building will house 1,000 MathWorks employees, with some moving from the company’s nearby Apple Hill corporate headquarters campus.

Code Red Consultants provided building, fire, and accessibility code consulting to the project team, and was responsible for developing and presenting the building’s code compliance approach to the Natick Building and Fire Departments. Due to the size of the building and anticipated number of employees in the facility, Code Red Consultants worked with the fire department to address concerns regarding the impact of a full building evacuation on responding fire departments. Through the use of Code Red Consultants’ life safety/egress drawings, the design team, led by architecture firm Gensler, was able to work with the building and fire departments to implement a partial evacuation strategy that ensured both the safety of building occupants and improved the site conditions for the responding fire departments in the event of a fire emergency.

Location

Natick, Mass.

Size

513,000 SF

Cost

$250 million

Completion

2018

MathWorks Lakeside Campus

MathWorks, the leading developer of mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists, significantly increased its office space with the opening of its new Lakeside Campus, the company’s second campus in Natick, Mass. The new campus features 513,000 SF of office space on 31 acres, with amenities including a café, dry cleaning, barber shop, a fitness and wellness center, and a one-mile walking path. The four-story office building will house 1,000 MathWorks employees, with some moving from the company’s nearby Apple Hill corporate headquarters campus.

Code Red Consultants provided building, fire, and accessibility code consulting to the project team, and was responsible for developing and presenting the building’s code compliance approach to the Natick Building and Fire Departments. Due to the size of the building and anticipated number of employees in the facility, Code Red Consultants worked with the fire department to address concerns regarding the impact of a full building evacuation on responding fire departments. Through the use of Code Red Consultants’ life safety/egress drawings, the design team, led by architecture firm Gensler, was able to work with the building and fire departments to implement a partial evacuation strategy that ensured both the safety of building occupants and improved the site conditions for the responding fire departments in the event of a fire emergency.

Logan International Airport Terminal E Enhancement

Designed by AECOM and constructed by Suffolk Construction, the Logan International Airport Terminal E Enhancement project offers a new experience for international passengers in Boston. The project included 100,000 SF of new construction and more than 200,000 SF of renovations to the terminal area, including the revitalization and enhancement of nine existing gates to add additional passenger seating and the construction of a new wing known as “The Crescent” to accommodate larger aircrafts like the behemoth Airbus A380. All of the interior work was built while maintaining airline operations. Code Red Consultants worked closely with AECOM and Suffolk Construction to ensure that passenger safety was maintained at all times by developing comprehensive life safety plans throughout all phases of construction. These plans were reviewed hand-in-hand with Massport Capital Programs, the Office of Public Safety and Inspections, and Massport Fire Rescue to ensure all stakeholders were on the same page prior to construction commencing.

Location

Boston, Mass.

Size

100,000 SF new construction, 200,000 SF renovation

Cost

$175 million

Completion

2017

Photography Credit

AECOM

Logan International Airport Terminal E Enhancement

Designed by AECOM and constructed by Suffolk Construction, the Logan International Airport Terminal E Enhancement project offers a new experience for international passengers in Boston. The project included 100,000 SF of new construction and more than 200,000 SF of renovations to the terminal area, including the revitalization and enhancement of nine existing gates to add additional passenger seating and the construction of a new wing known as “The Crescent” to accommodate larger aircrafts like the behemoth Airbus A380. All of the interior work was built while maintaining airline operations. Code Red Consultants worked closely with AECOM and Suffolk Construction to ensure that passenger safety was maintained at all times by developing comprehensive life safety plans throughout all phases of construction. These plans were reviewed hand-in-hand with Massport Capital Programs, the Office of Public Safety and Inspections, and Massport Fire Rescue to ensure all stakeholders were on the same page prior to construction commencing.

Haverford College Magill Library Renovation/New Lutnick Library

Haverford College is working with Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects on the renovation and expansion of Magill Library to create a center for campus life with a 21st century teaching, research, and academic focus. The library is an intricately complex and varied structure constructed over four eras (1864-1898, 1912, 1941, and 1967) and listed on the historic registry of the Haverford Township Historical Commission. The historic parts of Magill Library will be preserved while a major portion of the existing building will be demolished and replaced with a new addition. The Magill Library closed at the end of the fall 2017 semester and will reopen as the Lutnick Library when construction is complete.

Code Red Consultants developed a comprehensive code report, prepared life safety plans, and coordinated with the design team and Authorities Having Jurisdiction on all code compliance facets of the project. The firm discovered that the older portions of the library building were significantly deficient as related to code compliance. Code Red Consultants evaluated the existing building and helped the design team develop approaches to bring the facility into compliance with current codes. The design required structural adjustments to the remaining parts of the building to re-orient the library and accommodate the building program.

The new library will feature technologically robust spaces, active teaching and learning spaces, a Digital Scholarship Commons, a significantly enhanced Quaker & Special Collections area, collaborative group study rooms, and a café.

Location

Haverford, Penn.

Size

30,570 GSF Renovation, 32,380 GSF Demolition + Addition

Cost

$33 million

Completion

2019 (proposed)

Rendering Credit

Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects

Haverford College Magill Library Renovation/New Lutnick Library

Haverford College is working with Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects on the renovation and expansion of Magill Library to create a center for campus life with a 21st century teaching, research, and academic focus. The library is an intricately complex and varied structure constructed over four eras (1864-1898, 1912, 1941, and 1967) and listed on the historic registry of the Haverford Township Historical Commission. The historic parts of Magill Library will be preserved while a major portion of the existing building will be demolished and replaced with a new addition. The Magill Library closed at the end of the fall 2017 semester and will reopen as the Lutnick Library when construction is complete.

Code Red Consultants developed a comprehensive code report, prepared life safety plans, and coordinated with the design team and Authorities Having Jurisdiction on all code compliance facets of the project. The firm discovered that the older portions of the library building were significantly deficient as related to code compliance. Code Red Consultants evaluated the existing building and helped the design team develop approaches to bring the facility into compliance with current codes. The design required structural adjustments to the remaining parts of the building to re-orient the library and accommodate the building program.

The new library will feature technologically robust spaces, active teaching and learning spaces, a Digital Scholarship Commons, a significantly enhanced Quaker & Special Collections area, collaborative group study rooms, and a café.

Gillette World Shaving Headquarters

Gillette’s South Boston Manufacturing Center contains 26 interconnected buildings totaling 1.65 million SF located on the historic Fort Point Channel in Boston Harbor. The 40-acre multi-use campus is the headquarters for P&G’s Global Grooming Business, which includes Gillette, Venus, Braun and The Art of Shaving, including four of P&G’s billion dollar brands – Fusion, MACH3, Prestobarba/Blue and Gillette.

Code Red Consultants was retained by Gillette to provide code consulting services to develop a fire protection masterplan that addresses overall fire protection and life safety goals for the facility. The firm developed a Master 241 Program for the entire campus to address requirements pertaining to construction projects in the buildings. Other work included reviewing inspection, testing, and maintenance documentation from vendors associated with various fire protection and life safety systems to ensure compliance with Massachusetts State Building Code, NFPA, and P&G codes and standards.

Code Red Consultants worked with Gillette’s fire protection leaders to help ensure all testing forms, frequencies, and procedures are in compliance with the applicable codes. The firm’s consultants routinely provide training for Gillette’s staff on timely fire protection topics such as construction fire safety, fire protection permitting, hot work, and more.

Location

Boston, Mass.

Size

26 buildings, 1.65 million SF

Cost

N/A

Completion

Ongoing

Photography Credit

Code Red Consultants

Gillette World Shaving Headquarters

Gillette’s South Boston Manufacturing Center contains 26 interconnected buildings totaling 1.65 million SF located on the historic Fort Point Channel in Boston Harbor. The 40-acre multi-use campus is the headquarters for P&G’s Global Grooming Business, which includes Gillette, Venus, Braun and The Art of Shaving, including four of P&G’s billion dollar brands – Fusion, MACH3, Prestobarba/Blue and Gillette.

Code Red Consultants was retained by Gillette to provide code consulting services to develop a fire protection masterplan that addresses overall fire protection and life safety goals for the facility. The firm developed a Master 241 Program for the entire campus to address requirements pertaining to construction projects in the buildings. Other work included reviewing inspection, testing, and maintenance documentation from vendors associated with various fire protection and life safety systems to ensure compliance with Massachusetts State Building Code, NFPA, and P&G codes and standards.

Code Red Consultants worked with Gillette’s fire protection leaders to help ensure all testing forms, frequencies, and procedures are in compliance with the applicable codes. The firm’s consultants routinely provide training for Gillette’s staff on timely fire protection topics such as construction fire safety, fire protection permitting, hot work, and more.

College of the Holy Cross, Center for the Arts and Creativity

Designed as a new gateway to the College of the Holy Cross campus, the new Center for the Arts and Creativity will provide dedicated spaces for the fine and performing arts as well as spaces and technology to support creative interactions between the arts and other disciplines. Currently under construction, the four-story facility features a 400-seat proscenium-style concert hall and theater, a 200-seat flexible experimental theater space, theatrical support spaces, multimedia teaching rooms, a café, an art gallery, and several outdoor amenities.

Code Red Consultants’ services included development of a comprehensive code report, preparation of life safety plans, and coordination with design team members and Authorities Having Jurisdiction on all code compliance facets of the project, including the three-story atrium at the center of the building. The firm’s consultants utilized performance-based design with fire and smoke modeling to design the atrium smoke exhaust system. The modeling allowed for a smaller exhaust system and less make-up air than would be required utilizing prescriptive calculations in the code. This approach resulted in less costly exhaust fans and a lesser impact on the architectural design of the building.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro is the design architect and Perry Dean Rogers is the executive architect for the project.

Location

Worcester, Mass.

Size

84,000 SF

Cost

$92 million

Completion

TBD

Rending Credit

Diller Scofidio + Renfro

College of the Holy Cross, Center for the Arts and Creativity

Designed as a new gateway to the College of the Holy Cross campus, the new Center for the Arts and Creativity will provide dedicated spaces for the fine and performing arts as well as spaces and technology to support creative interactions between the arts and other disciplines. Currently under construction, the four-story facility features a 400-seat proscenium-style concert hall and theater, a 200-seat flexible experimental theater space, theatrical support spaces, multimedia teaching rooms, a café, an art gallery, and several outdoor amenities.

Code Red Consultants’ services included development of a comprehensive code report, preparation of life safety plans, and coordination with design team members and Authorities Having Jurisdiction on all code compliance facets of the project, including the three-story atrium at the center of the building. The firm’s consultants utilized performance-based design with fire and smoke modeling to design the atrium smoke exhaust system. The modeling allowed for a smaller exhaust system and less make-up air than would be required utilizing prescriptive calculations in the code. This approach resulted in less costly exhaust fans and a lesser impact on the architectural design of the building.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro is the design architect and Perry Dean Rogers is the executive architect for the project.