2014 Award of Excellence - GC Renovation $1 to $5 Million - MECC & GOALS Baltimore

Summary

In 2014, Merritt was recognized by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) for our renovation of an outdated bottling facility and warehouse into an office for MEC2 and a new indoor sports facility for GOALS Baltimore.

MEC2’s 15,000-square-foot corporate headquarters features 19 contemporary offices, two conference rooms, a kitchen and an open collaboration work area with exposed trusses. In addition, an entirely new entrance was created on the back side of the building in order to enter the office space. A new roof and additional exterior finishes, including all new windows, new brick and EIFS on the office portion of the building were also installed.

The remaining 35,000 square feet adjacent to the new MEC2 corporate office is designated to GOALS Baltimore. This indoor sports complex features two multi-purpose fields, bleacher seating and a snack bar. The fields are currently utilized for lacrosse, field hockey and soccer.

Challenges

Critical challenges faced during this project were the age and condition of the building, as well as the project schedule. Initially, the building required major structural improvements and water-proofing to make the space habitable for the owner. The wood trusses were rotted, the exterior walls were not supported by frost footings, there was extensive water damage, and there were uneven floor elevations, among other things.

In addition, Merritt was under an extremely aggressive schedule, completing the project from demolition to occupancy in just three months. The initial scope of work included only the office build-out for MEC2. However, recognizing an opportunity in the marketplace, the owner added the Goals Baltimore build-out with only six weeks left in the schedule. This space, alone, required all new concrete to be poured for interior curbs which needed to be backfilled with stonedust in order to create an even floor elevation for the field areas of the facility.

Despite these challenges, all schedule and budget goals were ultimately met.