RFQ Engine 17 Prequalification Re-Invited, Boston, MA

Project description: The new Engine 17 Firehouse will be located on historic Meeting House Hill in Dorchester. The building site slopes steeply on the south boundary and has extensive ledge. The design uses massing elements, window louvers, brick, and stone to integrate a civic building in an historic district within a residential setting. Consideration was given to the heights, massing and materiality of the First Parish Church, including Engine 17. The building massing employs a pitched standing seam metal roof to mitigate scale and reflect the residential setting. Prominent canopy overhangs provide shading and a distinctive civic presence. Brick cladding with distinctive banding and corbeling provides an energy efficient assembly with opportunities for patterning and scale, a contemporary interpretation of decorative brickwork at the Mather School. The building features two apparatus bays facing Winter St and one chief’s apparatus bay on Parish street. Due to the grading and apron elevations, the ground floor has 2 slab elevations, connected by an ADA complaint ramp. The public entrance is on the NW corner of the site and there is a staff and storage access on the SE corner with access to parking. Ground Floor features a public entrance area, patrol desk, primary and chief’s apparatus bay with necessary adjacent technical spaces and is served by three fire poles, two stairs and an elevator. Second floor spaces include an open concept kitchen and dayroom, fitness area, lockers, changing rooms and sleeping and office spaces for the staff. A third-floor penthouse contains mechanical spaces and storage. The design of the building has addressed the City’s Red, Neutral and Green containment and air quality fire station work zone requirements to better improve the health of firefighters and staff. The RFQ is used to pre-qualify subcontractors who have not previously submitted packages. Those who are prequalified will be invited by the Awarding Authority to submit filed sub-bids and general bids pursuant to M.G.L. c.149, §§ 44E and 44F. After the prequalification process, a list of pre-qualified subcontractors and general contractors will be provided to all pre-qualified bidders. The anticipated construction duration from Notice to Proceed: 52 weeks.