- Project Type: Eastern U.S. Corporate Headquarters
- Size: 1,200,000 sq. ft. (2 phases)
- Tons of Steel: 4,040 tons
- Architect & Engineer: HO+K Architects Inc.
- General Contractor: Whiting-Turner
- 164 tons of bar joist
- $200-million project cost
- 158-acre grounds
- 528,700 square feet of metal decking
- 2 miles of cable tray
- 20,000,000 screws
- 20,000 cubic yards of concrete
- 100,00 cubic yards of rock blasted
- 500,000 cubic yards of Earth moved
"The architectural language is one of glass, metal, and exposed structure embodying the 'forward-looking' aspects of Sun Microsystems." HO+K
The campus design consists of nine buildings that are interconnected by a one-level common facilities building
The buildings of the campus revolve around an 85-foot tall clock tower. The clock has a 7 1/2- foot diameter face and is powered by sun through photovoltaic modules.
Sun shines on Burlington
In the last few years of the 1990's, Sun Microsystems was hiring about 1000 new employees every three months. The Boston area was particularly important for Sun's expansion plans, and the need to build new facilities in the region was clear and urgent.
After purchasing a former Locheed Martin manufacturing site in Burlington, plans were readied for Sun's new East Coast regional headquarters and research center.
The campus design consists of nine buildings that are interconnected by a one-level common facilities building (this building contains a cafeteria, conference center, corporate library and Sun store).
The prestigious Washington D.C. architectural firm, HO+K (Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum), was hired to design a new complex that filled Sun's need for space, and also fit in with their corporate philosophies of teamwork and an open working environment. The resulting plan was an ambitious campus style project with 1,200,000 square feet of office and meeting space in nine separate buildings, inked to each other through passageways or enclosed bridges.
The overall design retains elements of the location's industrial background, and takes inspiration from the mill buildings, which were intimately tied to New England's old economy in the early half of the last century.
Whiting-Turner - general contractor for the project - was responsible for organizing the many elements of construction. It was their decision to hire Supermetal for structural steel services.
"The [architectural] language is one of glass, metal, and exposed structure embodying the 'forward-looking' aspects of Sun Microsystems." HO+K (Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum)
Lavallee/Brensinger, a local architectural firm, developed the plan for the project in conjunction with HOK Sports. Central to the plan is an innovative elliptical layout that places the majority of the seats towards the center of the arena, rather than on the ends. The idea of premium seating was always considered essential to the center's ultimate success.
Patrons in the 600 club seats, 34 private suites, and 2 party suites are treated to a truly luxurious experience. Whether cheering from their seats or in the private lounge, they have access to quality dining, an elegant atmosphere, and extraordinary views of all the action and entertainment.
Once seen as a tremendous risk, the center is already creating benefits for the community. Office space in the downtown - once nearly abandoned - is filling up and being redeveloped. Restaurants and hotels have begun opening or expanding in the areas around the center, months before its November opening date. A new parking structure is also planned to accommodate the extra traffic that the area is already attracting.
Our Role in the Project
Supermetal was responsible for all structural and architecturally exposed steel required for both development phases of the Burlington campus. Services that we provided included:
- Detailing
- Fabrication
- Delivery
- Supervision & on site erection
Fabrication involved a wide assortment of large beams used for both basic structure and decorative purposes. The faux-industrial look of the campus called for significant portions of the steel frame to be exposed, and required high quality finishing.
Due to their rapid expansion, Sun was understandably anxious to have the new facilities available for use as soon as possible. Whiting-Turner fast-tracked the project by creating an extremely tight construction schedule with numerous sub-contractors all working on the site at the same time.
Confident in the abilities of our company, and eager to play a part in this prestigious project, we took on the accelerated demands of the project. Our fabrication facilities were pushed to keep two teams of erectors supplied with steel, as they worked simultaneously on separate buildings within the campus.
We challenged our employees to meet lofty standards and tight deadlines. From estimators to erectors, our entire team performed exceptionally well, and ultimately the project was a complete success.
The center features jagged angles, sweeping curves, and an elliptical layout. This unique design of the building greatly increased the complexity of fabrication, requiring beams of all sizes to be cut at radical angles, and with extreme precision.
From August 2000 to March 2001 a steady stream of trucks moved 2635 tons of steel along the often snowy route between Quebec City and Manchester NH. At the site, our project managers consulted with construction management firm, Gilbane Inc. to ensure the finished pieces were received and installed properly. The building was erected in four sections with the roof added at the end of the process. The last beam was installed on April 3rd - just as the last of the winter snowstorms were coming to an end, and right on schedule.