University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology

Location New Bedford, MA

Client University of Massachusetts Building Authority (UMBA)

Services Commissioning, Project Management

Project Value $45 million

Hill provided project management services to support new and renovated facilities for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMD) School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) and the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF). SMAST comprises the Marine Science campus of UMD, including the Department of Fisheries Oceanography and Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences.

SMAST occupied approximately 32,500 SF of the existing SMAST facility (referred to as SMAST 1) in New Bedford and, after outgrowing the available space, an additional 12,000 SF of leased, off-site space in Fairhaven, MA. This project consolidated the two locations and created a cohesive campus for the SMAST programs. 

Hill’s services included design management, construction, commissioning, occupancy, and close-out of the project. The scope of work included demolition of the existing Naval Reserve Center (NRC) building on an adjacent parcel; construction of a new 64,500 SF “SMAST 2” building on the NRC site; limited, high-priority renovations at the existing SMAST 1 building; and site/landscape and utility work required to combine the sites into an integrated SMAST Campus. The new 64,500 SF SMAST 2 building at the NRC site included flexible wet/dry research labs and research offices, computational research labs, flexible classroom space that can be used for SMAST public outreach programs, a seawater research facility, administration space, and DMF offices and a dive-gear program.

“I am writing to commend you and the Hill, International, Inc. team on your exceptional performance in managing the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) expansion project. It was evident to me in the early stages of the project that you had the benefit of extensive experience in various aspects of large-scale construction projects, including ones involving complex research and laboratory facilities. In addition, I was impressed by your management style, which emphasized a collaborative approach among the architect, project management, and construction teams and regular and open lines of communication to ensure that the project moved forward in a timely and cost-effective manner. We are fortunate to have had your critical leadership role in this effort and I am happy to offer my endorsement for you as you are considered for similar projects in the future.” -Steven E. Lohrenz, Dean and Professor, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

navigate_before   navigate_next