Over the last several months, Massachusetts cities and towns have adjusted to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in delays in a number of the state’s leading industries, including construction. Still, now that the state is entering Phase-2, and publicly considering the resumption of everyday life, projects in our industry are already moving ahead at a steady clip.

Yet caution remains critical as men and women across every sector slowly return to work. Fortunately, the training and experience of those working in the construction field will serve the industry well at this pivotal time. Nevertheless, a review of new safety policies and procedures should be both expected and encouraged.

In Massachusetts, the pandemic interrupted a streak of historic development. And while nothing is guaranteed, we look forward to resuming our efforts on several sites both in Greater Boston and beyond. 

Electrical contractors are increasingly using prefabrication to reduce the amount of time it takes to install materials on-site, thus improving productivity. Here are a few recent and upcoming projects that we are will contribute to as the construction industry resumes work across the Commonwealth. 

Located right outside Central Square, the MIT Museum hosts collections of holography, artificial intelligence, robotics, and maritime history, as well as the history of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Soon the 57,000-square-foot space, which will be organized in a spiral, will relocate to 314 Main Street in Kendall Square, between the MBTA Red Line Station and the Kendall Hotel. The projected opening date for the MIT Museum will be announced in the coming months.

Another example of our recent prefab work is found at the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, established in 2018 as a non-profit subsidiary of the Gates Foundation to combat malaria, tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, and improve maternal and newborn health in third world countries. 

Finally, MassArt—the Massachusetts College of Art and Design— recently unveiled the complete redesign of a new contemporary art museum. Construction began on the 15,000 square-foot MassArt Art Museum in 2017, which cost $12.5 million to revamp, after being in development for over a decade. 

Prefab options and extensive planning enable our company to undertake accelerated project schedules and minimize site trash and scrap while reducing overall project needs and costs. For instance, our team can assemble something like an Exhaust Fan VDF wall as part of in-house prefabrication, which can later be installed with power and control panels on a job site. This will allow all contractors involved to meet the schedule, while also working in a safe and coordinated fashion. As a result, we have streamlined our service and project offering at a time when the industry is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic. 

From Assembly Row to the Green Line Extension and Kendall Square, to Suffolk Downs, Greater Boston remains brimming with potential. As a new normal emerges over the coming months, we remain ready to assist on the next phase of the state’s development, while ensuring high-level safety standards for our colleagues.  We are proud to collaborate on some of the region’s most innovative and thoughtful projects, contributing to the city’s technological and cultural epicenters.