Event celebrates Suffolk’s commitment to ‘building smart’ and introduces new innovation lab
BOSTON, Mass. (Oct. 11, 2016) – Suffolk Construction, one of the most successful, privately held building contractors in the country, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 38,000 square-foot addition and complete interior renovation of its headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. In lieu of a traditional groundbreaking ceremony, the event featured innovative virtual reality technologies that imitated the groundbreaking ritual and provided a virtual model rendering of the project.
To celebrate the start of construction, Suffolk Chairman and CEO John Fish, Suffolk Northeast President Angus Leary and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh wore virtual reality headsets while event attendees had the opportunity to watch a virtual animation of the new building being erected.
“This virtual groundbreaking event marks an important milestone for Suffolk, and is symbolic of our build smart approach and how we think differently and push the boundaries of what is possible on our projects,” said John Fish, Chairman and CEO of Suffolk Construction. “Our team is fully committed to transforming the construction experience for our clients and leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and processes.
Suffolk leverages the latest Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) and Lean Construction principles to enhance team-wide collaboration, eliminate waste and increase efficiencies on all of its projects. For example, virtual and augmented reality technologies are used to immerse clients in the building experience and identify any unforeseen issues before breaking ground. These same innovative technologies and processes are being implemented on Suffolk’s headquarters expansion project.
The expanded headquarters will include collaborative workspaces, an amphitheater, a new employee cafeteria, fitness and wellness center, second-floor terrace and an outdoor basketball court. It will also feature an Innovation Lab where new and existing technologies will be tested and implemented on Suffolk projects. Construction is currently underway, with the new addition to be completed October 2017. The complete interior renovation will be completed December 2018.
To view footage of the virtual groundbreaking experience, click here. Theia Interactive created the virtual groundbreaking experience for Suffolk Construction. The virtual reality experience was built using Unreal Engine’s software platform exclusively for the HTC Vive.”
