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12 Feb 2019
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TFMoran’s Work on Concord Theatre Project Recognized in High Profile

February 12, 2019 | 0 Comments | , , ,

TFMoran was featured in the February 2019 edition of High-Profile monthly for our work on the historic Concord Theatre. The building was built in the mid 1800s and was in need of structural repairs and updating. TFMoran provided structural and civil engineering for the project, working alongside Dennis Mires P.A. The Architects and Milestone Engineering and Construction. The construction is underway and is expected to be completed by mid-2019, although no official date has been released. To read the article click the PDF link or read the text below.

TFMoran Works on Theatre Renovation

Concord, NH – Construction is well underway on the renovation of the historic Concord Theatre. TFMoran structural and civil engineers worked closely with Dennis Mires P.A. The Architects, and Milestone Engineering and Construction to provide civil and structural engineering for the project. Originally a bakery started in the mid-1800s, the Concord Theatre building was converted to a movie theatre which ran from the 1930s to the mid-1990s. The property also housed various small businesses more recently. However, the main movie theatre has been vacant for many years. The renovation project will create a flexible event venue for the Capitol Center for the Arts and a box office. The project includes significant structural upgrades and repairs to the building framing. Outdated floor, roof, and wall framing will be reinforced or replaced. Additionally, an interior balcony and new cantilevered marquee will be added. A small addition will be added on the building’s south side for a new stair and elevator. The attractive addition will be built in conjunction with functional and aesthetic improvements to the building’s site. New pavement, plantings, seating, and a loading area are planned. The project is expected to be completed mid-2019.

01 Feb 2019
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TFMoran Basketball Team Celebrates A Win

February 1, 2019 | 0 Comments | , ,

TFMoran showed support for local athletics by once again sponsoring a recreational basketball team in Bedford. TFMoran’s Tom Lamb’s son plays for the team. The team of 3rd and 4th grade boys won their game against the LAER Beauchemin Realty team, 16-12 today. An article about the game was published in the Bedford Bulletin, highlighting the key points of the game. LBR made a strong comeback after being down 10, but TFMoran was able to pull away and seal the victory. To read the full article, read the text below:

At one point late in the second half, LBR tied the score at 12-12, erasing a 10-point halftime hole. However, TFMoran pulled away down the stretch to win. Camden Santos was huge off the backboards and played solid defense for LBR, while teammate Jackson Jodoin scored and hurt TFMoran by forcing turnovers. Pierce Connolly, Drew Benjamin, Owen Sprague, Myles Lamb, and Jack Bergeron led a balanced attack for the winners.

25 Jan 2019
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TFMoran President featured in the NEREJ 2019 Forecast Spotlight

January 25, 2019 | 0 Comments | , ,

New England Real Estate Journal asked TFMoran President, Bob Duval for his 2019 Engineering Forecast regarding commercial properties. Bob’s article discusses the changes in regulations regarding environmental risks and the importance of identifying potential permitting issues early. “Although setting a realistic time-frame that includes upfront studies of all these potential impacts may seem excessive at first, the alternative – in terms of costly surprises, backtracking, or redesign of the project at later stages can be devastating to the project schedules and budgets,” Mr. Duval writes. The full article will be included in the NEREJ January 25-31, 2019 Forecast Spotlight edition. To read the article open the PDF here or read the text below.

Trends in regulatory controls require a more comprehensive “due diligence” approach

By Robert Duval, TFMoran

In the year ahead, we are likely to see continued compression in project delivery schedules, spurring developers and designers to hunt for new ways to streamline the design and permitting process.  Meanwhile, the regulatory maze is becoming increasingly difficult and constantly changing.  As a result, the permitting process often represents the major obstacle to project delivery dates, even for relatively simple projects.

Despite all the powerful new technologies available to today’s design professionals, “working faster” can only accomplish so much.  At every scale, environmental regulation has grown more complex.  To be successful, a permitting strategy must be based on one simple principle: do your homework and do it early.  Here are a few of the areas where recent trends in regulatory controls require a more comprehensive “due diligence” approach…

Projects that include any impacts to wetlands or wetland buffers can expect closer scrutiny from regulators at all levels.  Even very small wetlands may be determined to have important natural functions that are difficult to replace – for example a vernal pool.  Large upland buffers around vernal pools and even “ordinary” wetlands are becoming more common as governments at all levels – federal, state, and local – seek to increase protection of water supplies, natural flood buffers, and natural habitats near waterways.  It is not unusual today for such buffer areas to occupy more land area than the wetlands they protect.

The expanding reach of these regulations has had major consequences on project design, especially stormwater runoff, since larger and larger portions of sites are becoming subject to these enhanced setbacks and design controls.  Even when physical separation from natural resource areas can be achieved, development controls do not end at the buffer’s edge –restrictions on impervious cover; enhancement of stormwater treatment systems; controls on volume in addition to rate of stormwater runoff; sampling and testing of runoff chemistry, and other constraints on site design have also become more common.  No longer is it sufficient to just follow the rules – the trend is now pointing towards achieving a specific end result – and proving it.

With increased attention and resources allocated to newly emerging trace contaminants like PFOA/PFAS, new concerns are being raised across wide areas previously assumed to be free of chemical pollution risks.  Public outcry is pushing regulators into taking quick action on these emerging contaminants, in some cases ahead of a solid understanding of actual health risks.  In any event, each newly identified compound will add more uncertainty and extra steps to the permitting process in affected areas.

Rare and endangered species – including plants as well as animals – also will have substantial effects on development.  Even in densely settled areas not typically thought of as home to endangered wildlife communities, protected organisms can be found.  Each species adds its own particular set of requirements to a project, from restricted time frames for certain activities, to protective radii around individual habitats for species of concern.  As recently demonstrated by the listing of the Northern Long-eared Bat and certain migratory birds, such concerns can attach to extremely wide areas.

Increased emphasis on protection of historic structures (potentially, any resource over fifty years old) and archaeological sites is emerging as a major factor during the permitting process, adding Architectural Historians and Archaeologists as important early partners on the project team.  Properly evaluating and documenting any such resources takes time that must be accounted for in a well-planned project schedule.

Knowing that these challenges must be faced, early action is an essential element of project planning.  Although setting a realistic time frame that includes upfront studies of all these potential impacts may seem excessive at first, the alternative – in terms of costly surprises, backtracking, or redesign of the project at later stages can be devastating to project schedules and budgets.  Avoiding these unpleasant outcomes means going back to basics…

Redevelopment of existing disturbed sites, where the foregoing issues are often well understood or at least less contentious, tend to generate less public attention and concern, since urban environments with existing infrastructure are generally less impactful than new greenfield sites.  Careful site selection is critical, and where possible, redevelopment should be the first choice.

While developing urban sites can often include contaminated soil risks, don’t overlook the fact that even undeveloped sites can also contain unknown, newly-emerging contaminants – all must be effectively identified and managed.

To get projects off to a good start and keep them moving, will require more intensive study and preparation than even just a few years ago… despite the new challenges, it is still possible to accelerate project delivery time frames, by early identification of problematic conditions and finding effective solutions at the earliest possible stage – preferably while the project program is still flexible and can be adapted to accommodate the challenges.  With good homework and creative solutions in hand, many, if not all, of these challenges can be overcome.

10 Dec 2018
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New Project Featured in the New Hampshire Union Leader

December 10, 2018 | 0 Comments | , , ,

The Union Leader took notice of TFMoran’s work at Market and Main Street, the Macy’s redevelopment, in a recent news article. The Plaza has seen a lot of growth since Macy’s closed its doors in the fall of 2015. Construction crews have been hard at work on Trader Joe’s and The Friendly Toast and have completed the construction on a parking structure for the new additions. There will also be a new 4 story parking garage, to accompany a movie theater and an REI, mentioned in the article. The parking garage will be partially visible from I-293, however much of the building will be hidden by the REI and movie theater. The structure was designed with nature in mind, with architectural features including “…staggered horizontal details that are intended to interpret the ripples seen on a river.” Red Heat Tavern, Pressed Cafe, and Charles Schwab have also announced that they have signed leases. Other additions to the former Macy’s site are expected to include Athleta, Cycle Bar, European Wax Center, and MidiCi. To view the full article from the Union Leader, open the PDF UL Market and Main Redevelopment, or read the text below.

 

By KIMBERLY HOUGHTON Union Leader Correspondent Dec6, 2018

BEDFORD – The architectural design for a four-story parking garage at the Market and Man project has been approved by town planners, and an undisclosed cinema chain is in the process of being finalized for the development. “We do have a cinema with a letter of intent right now, so we are working on that portion of the project,” Laura Homich, project architect, told the Bedford Planning Board this week. On Monday, the board approved the architectural design for a four story, open parking garage that will be attached to the rear of the cinema building.

 

The 179,000-square-foot parking garage will house nearly 470 vehicles in the new mixed-use development being constructed at the former Macy’s site at 125 South River Road.

 

“we have minimized the structure to the extent that we can … there will be some detail and character to it,” Homich said of the parking garage.

 

Attached to the precast concrete parking garage will be a 2000-square-foot REI store and a 90000-square-foot cinema, restaurant and retail space, according to Homich. The building is one of several that will be constructed on the parcel. Two buildings are already in the process of being constructed, including trader joes and the friendly toast, as well as a smaller parking deck.

 

“Being suburban, rural community, we don’t see a lot of parking garages,’ said Becky Herbert, planning director for the town. “it is a large structure, and it will be viewed from (Interstate) 293 until the office building is constructed.

 

In a letter to Herbert, Homich explains that the garage will include staggered horizontal detail that is intended to interpret the reflective ripples seen on a river, which was the inspiration for the façade of the marquee building. She said the majority of the garage will be covered by the cinema and retail building, although most of the top level will be visible as well as other areas of the structure. The fourth level of the garage will not have a roof, and some screening panels will be strategically placed throughout the perimeter of the structure, according to the design plans.

“You might catch the roofline of the car, but the concrete structure comes up above the bumper on all levels,” said Chris Rice, an engineer with T.F. Moran.

 

To date, Pressed Café, Charles Schwab, Trader Joes, The Friendly Toast, Rei, and the Red Heat Tavern all announced that they have signed leases for the new Market and Main development. Other business intended for the site include Athleta, Cycle Bar, European Wax, and MidiCi. No new announcements have been made regarding the additional tenants that will be occupying Market and Main, a 355,708-square-foot complex.

 

Although an official groundbreaking is being planned, the date has not yet been publicized. In September 22016, the Planning Board granted the conditional site plan for Encore Retail and its mixed-use development that will include a cinema, hotel, medical office, restaurants, and retail space.

 

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28 Nov 2018
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TFM Millyard Parking Garage Project featured on Front Page of the NH Union Leader

November 28, 2018 | 0 Comments | , , ,

Exciting News! On the front page of the November 27, 2018 Greater Manchester Edition of the New Hampshire Union Leader is a construction photo of the new parking garage in downtown Manchester’s Millyard district, a TFMoran Civil/Site Engineering and Structural Engineering project. TFMoran also provided permitting and landscape architecture services for this 6-story, 1,700 space parking facility. This new precast concrete structure, located at the corner of South Commercial Street and Line Drive, will provide parking for Southern New Hampshire University’s online program and administrative offices housed in the adjacent Langer Place mill. The project architect is Built-Form, LLC and Construction Manager is Harvey Construction. Click here to go to our project page to learn more.

To view the Union Leader photo taken by photographer Josh Gibney, link to this pdf NH Union Leader Front Page Nov 27 2018

Union Leader Photo Caption:
Construction is ahead of schedule for a six-story parking garage that can handle 1,700 vehicles at the southern end of the Millyard, just north of Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Project developer Peter Flotz said Monday that the project should be completed in mid-July, ahead of schedule. Southern New Hampshire University is leasing the entire garage, seen here in a photograph taken earlier this month.

07 Nov 2018
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NH Union Leader’s Front Page Midterm Election coverage photo captures TFM’s Dylan Cruess and daughter Cate

November 7, 2018 | 0 Comments

TFMoran’s COO, Dylan Cruess’ daughter Cate, captured the eye of Thomas Roy, a Union Leader photographer, at the Governor Chris Sununu victory party on election night. The caption read “A smiling Gov. Chris Sununu shows a photo of his cat to 5-year-old Catherine Cruess of Bedford, who attended Sununu’s election night party at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Manchester with her dad, Dylan.” The photo appeared on the front page of the Wednesday, November 7, 2018 edition under the large headline “Midterms draw big crowds in NH”. The story “Sununu
captures second term” was written by Dave Solomon of the New Hampshire Union Leader.

To view the story, click this pdf link NH Union Leader Front Page Nov 7 2018  

30 Oct 2018
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The Glen House featured in NHBR’s October “From the Ground Up”

October 30, 2018 | 0 Comments | ,

One of TFMoran’s Structural Engineering projects is now complete, just in time for leaf peeping season! Located at the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road in Green’s Grant, The Glen House, a 68-room new hotel is welcoming visitors. The October issue of New Hampshire Business Review, features the project in a special section “From the Ground Up”. TFMoran is proud to be a part of the project team with Martini Northern and BMA Architectural Group. We invite you to check out the article by clicking this pdf link NHBR_From The Ground Up_Oct 26-Nov 8 2018 issue or by reading the text below. Congratulations to the new Glen House!

New Hampshire Business Review From The Ground Up

The Glen House

Martini Northern constructed a nearly airtight hotel with the functionality to withstand Mount Washington’s winds in a classic New England design to which visitors have become accustomed.

The Glen House, a newly constructed 68-room hotel at the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road, may technically be one of the newer structures in the region, but its roots run deep in the White Mountains.

The new hotel, built by construction management firm Martini Northern, of Portsmouth, is the fifth iteration of The Glen House to stand near the site of the original, which opened in 1852 to visitors flocking to the Northeast’s highest peak. The new, stately structure, which opened to the public on Sept. 12, pays homage to its predecessors by including aspects of its previous incarnations, offering a classic look in a bucolic setting.

The overall design is similar to the previous Glen House featuring clapboard siding and a front porch that evokes a traditional New England look, much like the grand hotels of New Hampshire.

While it may have the feel of a hotel that has been in place for generations, Martini Northern used an innovative approach to construct an energy efficient, sustainable, self-sufficient carbon neutral building. Thirty geothermal wells provide heating and cooling while future offsite hydro and solar will provide further energy generation.

Additionally, The Glen House has four inches of rigid and spray foam insulation on all exterior walls and eight-inch insulated hunter panels on the roof. The result is a very tight envelope for the building that sits in an area prone to excessive wind and cold.

At the heart of the three-story hotel is its expansive great room, which extends from the lobby to a welcoming sitting area featuring a towering stone fireplace. Massive windows reach up to the cathedral ceilings framing expansive views from the west-facing rooms and lobby overlooking a network of trails as well as spectacular views of the Presidential Range.

Step further inside and visitors will discover walls adorned with vintage photography that illustrates the long and storied life of the Mount Washington Auto Road, and The Glen Houses that came before — a touch that carries some of the historic DNA from its previous life. The reception desk and bar incorporate boards salvaged from an old barn on the property.

“The wall coverings and recycled timber highlight what it looked and felt like here all those years ago,” notes Martini Northern President Peter Middleton. “There are images of a car race heading up to the summit and scenes of everyday life in the North Country.”

The guest rooms feature comfortable Shaker-style designs — providing a traditional feel — and yet guests can take advantage of amenities such as a gym, several dining options, an indoor salt water pool and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout.

Planning and design for the project began in earnest in 2015. Construction began in April of last year and was completed in September. As with any project, there were challenges — not the least of which was the location. Though beautiful, the setting presented a few obstacles that needed to be overcome. First and foremost was the weather which shortened the construction season and impacted workers every day.

Building in Pinkham Notch, located well north of most population centers, the project started with a sense of urgency as it progressed through the spring and summer of 2017.

“Obviously, with the winter coming, we built our schedule to get the building up and enclosed so we could work all winter inside,” Middleton says. “Then we could start to finish the outside in the spring.”

Nearly 20 days were lost during the long winter months as conditions made getting workers and material to the site, through the snow and ice, extremely difficult. It was just one of several elements that made the project unlike any other.

“The location was definitely a challenge but the owner involvement really offset it,” says Middleton. “The owner involvement was substantial and helpful — from design through construction.”

Owned by the Mount Washington Summit Road Company and managed by Olympia Hotel Management, The Glen House sits near the base of the Auto Road — a landmark that Middleton is coincidentally quite familiar with.

“My grandfather was close friends with the father of the owner of the Auto Road,” he says of his personal history with Mount Washington. “So there’s some history there. My grandfather ran Pinkham Notch for almost 40 years. There’s a proprietary connection there.”

It’s also a return to earlier projects for the Portsmouth-based firm. Middleton has now worked on projects at the summit and the base of the 6,288-foot mountain.

“For me personally, [overseeing construction of The Glen House] was very rewarding,” Middleton says. “When I was at the University of New Hampshire, studying to be an engineer, I worked with Harvey Construction on the summit building [the Sherman Adams Building] for two summers. It’s nice to have worked at the top and at the bottom of the mountain.”

In addition to Martini Northern, the project team included BMA Architectural Group of Amherst and Bedford-based design firms Stibler Associates and TFMoran as well as HEB Engineers of North Conway and Yeaton Associates of Littleton. Martini Northern’s onsite team was led by superintendents Ray Michaud and Roger Davis, and assistant superintendent Ben Middleton.

Key subcontractor partners on the project included GB Carrier Corp., of Conway; Chestnut and Cape, Inc., of Northwood; as well as Granite State Plumbing & Heating of Weare, Ray’s Electric, of Berlin, and Superior Fire Protection Inc., of Hooksett.

All of our key partners were so critical to the project’s success and we had great participation from everybody,” Middleton says. “It was not an easy project — everybody had to drive a couple hours to get there with many of the workers staying overnight. They were all outstanding people to work with.”

Established in 1999, Martini Northern is a Construction Management/GC firm that oversees building needs throughout New England on institutional, corporate and healthcare markets.

01 Oct 2018
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NH Business Review “From The Ground Up” features Saint Anselm College’s new Student Center Complex

October 1, 2018 | 0 Comments | ,

One of TFMoran’s civil engineering projects was recently featured in New Hampshire Business Review’s “From The Ground Up” section. TFMoran is proud to be a part of the team for the new Saint Anselm College’s Roger and Francine Jean Student Center Complex in Manchester, NH!

To view the story, click on this pdf link NHBR From The Ground Up Sept 14-27, 2018 issue

Or, read the story below:

New Hampshire Business Review – September 14 – 27, 2018

FROM THE GROUND UP:
Saint Anselm College’s Roger and Francine Jean Student Center Complex

Eckman Construction took a vision and transformed it into a community and intellectual meeting space for future generations of Saint Anselm students to enjoy.

When Eckman Construction began work on the new Roger and Francine Jean Student Center Complex on the campus of Saint Anselm College in the fall of 2016, there were a few unique challenges — not the least of which was creating a space that reflected the long and respected traditions of the Manchester college.

“One of the things that was great about the project is the architect brought a fresh look to the building and yet still honored the Benedictine tradition which is reflected in so many buildings on campus,” Eckman Construction Vice President Preston Hunter says. “But it also introduced contemporary design elements which are more in keeping with the interests and needs of today’s students.”

Completed this past spring, the Roger and Francine Jean Student Center Complex is a 53,280-square-foot building in the heart of the campus, on the site of the former Cardinal Cushing Student Center, which was built in 1960. The new student center is now home to a variety of organizations, including the health center, mail services, student government, the internship office, career services, the study abroad program, the Meelia Center for Community Engagement and an academic resource center. It also now includes a new book store, a 260-seat auditorium, a Starbucks café, study areas, gathering spaces and a game room — all illuminated by natural light, thanks to the expansive windows looking out across the campus and providing one of the best views from the Hilltop.

“It was outdated, but highly utilized by the college,” Hunter says of the old structure, which had undergone only minor renovations since 1967. “There were a lot of different organizations and programs in the building. It really was the hub for all student activities on campus, but it didn’t really reflect the way the college was using it, and it didn’t provide the spaces the students were looking for these days.”

The project — part renovation and part new construction — involved demolishing nearly half of the old student center and then building around all four sides of what was left. The remaining 20,000 square feet was gutted and stripped down to the original structure in preparation for the rebuild of the new complex.

“In the 1960s, the structures were very robust, so it was worthwhile to save the bones of the portion of the building that could be repurposed or adapted to meet the new program and the new use,” Hunter says.

That portion of the process involved saving a central piece of the structure, which had a historic slate tile hip roof. Eckman then began new construction of roughly 25,000 square feet around the remaining portion — a process that involved technical challenges. High-wall basements, which were necessary due to the sloping site, and working right up against the occupied Stoutenburgh Gymnasium meant ensuring continued egress.

Additionally, as with any renovation project, there were unexpected discoveries that necessitated creative solutions.

“We discovered there was a data hub for the campus network located in the corner of the basement portion of the existing building that was scheduled to be demolished,” Hunter says. “This was a mission-critical piece of equipment for the campus, so we built an entire concrete bunker around this equipment and kept all of the wiring and the fiber optics live throughout the demolition and construction process.”

Eckman brought a lengthy relationship with Saint Anselm to the project. The student center was the 15th project the Bedford- based construction company has completed for the college. It marked the fourth Saint Anselm project for Senior Project Superintendent Mike Tremblay and it was the seventh that Project Manager Brian Baroody helped lead on campus. Project Executive and Eckman Vice President John Deloia was responsible for seeing the entire project through, from pre-construction through cost estimating, technical support and finally construction. It was also his seventh project at the Manchester campus.

“This was certainly an enjoyable, fun project for our team because we always enjoy working with clients with whom we have a strong relationship,” Hunter says. “You know what the college wants, you know what the expectations are, and there’s a lot of trust there. When you’re working with a client who you have a long track record with, there’s a lot of trust right off the bat and it makes it a smoother process.”

Hunter also credits the many subcontractors and design professionals who worked on the project with helping to bring it in on time and under budget.

“We couldn’t get the job done without them,” Hunter says. “The success of projects like this often hinges on the performance of the subcontractors we hire to do the work — it’s very important.”

Partners on the project included civil engineering firm TFMoran, of Bedford (“Like Eckman, TFMoran has been working on campus for decades and their experience and knowledge of the campus was really instrumental to the project, as well,” Hunter says); JSN Associates, of Portsmouth; Design Day Mechanicals, of New Ipswich; Hampshire Fire Protection Co., of Londonderry; Longchamps Electric, of Manchester; and Ace Welding, of Merrimack, among others. Since project architects, BHDP Architecture, is based in Cincinnati, Eckman helped with investigating existing conditions and coordination during the design phase.

Funding for the project came in part from a $6 million contribution from Roger and Francine Jean — for whom the complex is named. “They were very involved from the beginning,” Hunter says.

“They recognized the importance a student center like this would have for the college in pursuit of its mission. They were really wonderful to work with. Mr. Jean toured the building several times and was very supportive and complimentary of our work. We were thrilled to successfully deliver this new, beautiful facility with their name on it.” Shortly after the ribbon cutting in May, the complex again became the focal point of campus life on the Hilltop.

“It’s just a great place for the entire student body to come and hang out,” says student James Bloor ’19. “This is such a modern building now. The amount of work that everyone has really put into making this such a dynamic and fulfilling environment for everybody on campus – I think it’s amazing.

12 Sep 2018
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TFM Structural Engineering project featured in New Hampshire Union Leader

September 12, 2018 | 0 Comments |

One of TFMoran’s structural engineering projects, the Glen House hotel, is in the news! On Monday, September 10, 2018 the New Hampshire Union Leader featured an article on the front page about the opening of the Glen House hotel, completing the 25-year master plan for the Mount Washington Auto Road in Green’s Grant, NH. TFMoran provided structural design services this new 3-story, 68-room hotel for project architect BMA Architectural Group of Amherst, NH. Stibler Associates of Bedford, NH provided interior design, and Martini Northern of Portsmouth, NH was the general contractor.

Congratulations to The Glen House!

To view the pdf of the printed article, click this link: Union Leader Article 09-12-18_Glen House

Or read the text below:

Opening of Glen House hotel completes 25-year master plan for

Mount Washington Auto Road

By JOHN KOZIOL
Union Leader Correspondent

Howie Wemyss, general manager of the Mount Washington Auto Road, stands on the third-floor balcony of a room in the new Glen House hotel, which is opening soon. The hotel has 68 rooms, about half of which have balconies looking west at the Auto Road and the tallest peak in the Northeast. (JOHN KOZIOL/CORRESPONDENT)

GREEN’S GRANT — When it opens this week, the fifth Glen House will become the newest lodging establishment in the White Mountains and will fulfill a 25-year master plan for the Mount Washington Auto Road.The 68-room, three-story structure is on the site of the former Great Glen Ski Lodge on the western side of New Hampshire Route 16, north and across from the Base Lodge of the Mount Washington Auto Road.

In addition to meeting a need for rooms in the Mount Washington Valley, the Glen House will also boost the economy with the hiring of up to 40 full- and part-time employees.

In 1861, when what was then known as the Carriage Road opened, the first Glen House in the area of the current Base Lodge was already nine years old. That Glen House was destroyed by fire, as were the next three after it.

In 2001, fire also claimed the Great Glen Ski Lodge, a fact not lost on Auto Road officials in the construction of the new Glen House, which is outfitted with sprinklers and other safety measures.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Glen House will be held at the hotel at 11 a.m. Wednesday, followed by a soft opening soon thereafter and a grand opening sometime in October.

The year-round hotel will be operated by Olympia Hotel Management and is owned by the Mt. Washington Summit Road Company, which itself is owned by four families, with the Libby family being the majority owner.

While overseeing the finishing touches at the hotel last week, Howie Wemyss, who is the Auto Road’s longtime general manager, said the Glen House is the culmination of a process that began in the 1990s. It was then the Libby family, who are the descendants of Elihu Libby, initiated a master plan for the extensive Auto Road property.

At the turn of the 20th century, Elihu Libby bought the Glen House and in 1906, he also purchased the Auto Road. Since that time, Wemyss said the ownership group led by the Libbys has worked to develop a comprehensive vision for what is called the oldest manmade attraction in America.

Beginning in the 1990s, that vision became a master plan which included building the Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center in 1994 and a new Glen House. The Auto Road’s proposal to build the hotel in 2007 was stymied by the 2008 recession but brought back in 2015 when it was approved by the Coos County Planning Board.

Ground was broken on the hotel in April 2017. Despite some weather-related delays, the structure, which was estimated to cost upward of $14 million, is now ready for guests, said Wemyss.

As they come into the hotel, guests will immediately be drawn to the first and most significant of the “wow” elements built into it: a lounge at the back of which is a soaring wall of glass. It offers unparalleled views of Mounts Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison. About half of the hotel’s rooms have balconies.

Moving back from the glass wall, visitors can visit the bar or sink into a cozy seat in the lounge, which features a fireplace topped by a faux moose head. “It’s made of cloth,” explained Wemyss, and is intended to be a conversation starter.

Also on the hotel’s first floor is The Notch Grille, a full-service restaurant that will be open to guests and the public seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It offers cuisine billed as “North Country favorites with a modern twist;” a pool; a thoroughly wired multi-purpose conference room; and a fitness center.

Wemyss concedes that the pool is small. And given the number of trails just outside the hotel, the adjacent fitness center filled with high-tech work-out machines seems a bit redundant.

Sustainability

Nonetheless, all the amenities, as well as Wi-Fi both inside and outside the hotel, have been provided to enhance the overall guest experience, said Wemyss, who added he is equally proud of some of things that are less visible.

For starters, the Glen House is built with sustainability in mind. It is believed to be the only hotel in New Hampshire to have a geo-thermal system for heating and cooling, said Wemyss, adding that part of the hotel’s current energy needs are being met partially from an existing hydro project at the Auto Road Base Lodge.

In several years, once the hotel’s energy consumption has been clearly defined, Wemyss said a solar array would be built to augment the power coming from across the street.

The hotel’s Otis elevators are also kind of neat, he said, because not only are they fast and quiet, they regenerate electricity in going up and down. He noted that waste heat that is generated in the hotel’s kitchen by walk-in refrigerators is captured and put back into the geo-thermal system.

That system reflects the Auto Road’s commitment to stewardship, said Wemyss. He noted that such a system, because of the larger upfront cost and longer break-even time, has often deterred other hotels in northern New England from using it.

“If you want to break even in seven years, you don’t go geo-thermal,” he said, but the Auto Road and the Libby family are firmly behind it.

“Everyone wants it (the new Glen House) to be profitable,” said Wemyss, “but after 112 years of family ownership, they (the Libbys) have the luxury of taking a longer view on the investment.”

04 Sep 2018
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High-Profile’s September issue features a story on TFMoran’s 50th Anniversary

September 4, 2018 | 0 Comments | ,

We invite you to check out High Profile‘s September issue featuring a story entitled “TFMoran Celebrates 50 Years”. Click on this pdf link High-Profile September 2018 Pages 30-31

Or, read the text below:

TFMoran Celebrates 50 Years

Bedford, NH – The year 2018 marks 50 years of service for TFMoran, Inc., a leading consultant to the land development industry, offering Civil, Structural, and Traffic Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Construction Support, and Environmental Permitting services. Originally a local firm based in southern New Hampshire, TFMoran’s practice area now extends throughout the state and into Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Since its inception in 1968, TFMoran has been a leader in bringing innovative land planning and smart development practices into the marketplace. According to the firm’s president, Robert Duval, “TFMoran has been designing sustainable sites long before it became a buzzword. By their very nature, good designs reduce impacts to the natural environment, harmonize with their surroundings, make more efficient use of infrastructure, thereby saving our clients hard costs, as well as simplifying the approval process.”

The current ownership team has been in place since 2013, including President and Chief Engineer Robert Duval, PE; Chief Operating Officer Dylan Cruess, and Senior Vice Presidents Jeff Kevan, Paul Sbacchi, PE, and Corey Colwell, LLS, all long-term employees with decades of hands-on experience. Dylan Cruess comments, “The shared goal of the new ownership team has been to build on the strong corporate brand that TFMoran has created over the past fifty years, delivering best-in-class client service. We must be doing something right, because in 2016 we were named Business NH’s Business of the Year in the Real Estate, Construction and Engineering category, and we have also earned a statewide “Best of Business” award for the last six years in a row.”

Duval points out that TFMoran has built a strong reputation for successful redevelopment of under-utilized urban and industrial land: “We have played an integral role in many of the region’s most significant redevelopment projects, among them the SNHU Arena and the NH Fisher Cats Stadium in Manchester’s urban core; redevelopment of the Bedford Mall, Wayfarer Hotel, and former Macy’s properties in Bedford; the GE Aviation Plant expansion in Hooksett, conversion of several mill buildings in Lowell and Lawrence to residential/commercial use, and a new 1,700-car parking garage at the south end of Manchester’s historic millyard, currently under construction. Just these few projects alone provide hundreds of millions of dollars of new tax base and revenues to the local community,” says Duval.

In 2014, TFMoran acquired MSC Civil Engineers and Surveyors, a well-established civil engineering and surveying firm in Portsmouth, NH. Subsequently, in 2015, TFMoran expanded its structural engineering department by acquisition of Steffensen Engineering Associates with a solid 30-year history. “We have experienced strong growth over the past few years, to better serve our clients”, says Paul Sbacchi, Chief Structural Engineer. “They have their own tight schedules to meet, and we want to help them succeed.” The TFMoran team now comprises over 65 individuals, including licensed land surveyors, civil and structural engineers, landscape architects, wetland scientists, LEED professionals, and erosion control (CPESC) specialists.

Jeff Kevan, civil engineering group manager, points out that one of TFMoran’s primary strengths is taking on large projects with aggressive schedules. “Our team has demonstrated time and again the ability to meet challenging deadlines through teamwork and an innovative approach to the unique needs and opportunities for each project. Our reputation is built on our track record, and our record is evidence of the pride we take in what we do.”

How would you summarize the TFMoran philosophy? According to Duval, “We want to be leaders and innovators in our industry, taking on projects that have a positive impact on their surroundings. Every day, we are grateful for the opportunity to provide all these things while providing superior value to our clients, too.”

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