Building Challenges

Converting a generating plant designed to house 64 boilers and two large steam-driven turbines into a modern corporate headquarters presented unique challenges. To tackle this undertaking, PSNH selected Lavallee/Brensinger, an award-winning architectural firm, to oversee architecture and design. Gilbane, a fourth generation, family run company with a wealth of experience, was selected to manage reconstruction.

Architectural challenges included converting the cavernous single floor of the boiler room into two floors of office space, accomplished by creating a large steel I-beam structure within the building to support the second floor. An atrium on the east side of the building opens up the space and allowed the architects to account for the window sill height difference between the east and west walls. Because the turbine hall had massive girders set in the floor at six foot intervals throughout, the entire hall had to be dismantled and re-engineered to create open spaces.

The massive girders of the Turbine Hall (shown here during construction) had to be dismantled in preparation for the hall's building as office space.

The walls of the building are constructed of brick as much as two-feet thick in many places. While these walls are exceedingly strong, the upper courses had to be removed and the bricks cleaned and reset before new roof rafters could be installed. To accomplish this task, Gilbane hired more than 20 full-time bricklayers. Once the brickwork was completed, the walls were pressure washed to restore them to their original beauty.

More than 20 full-time bricklayers removed, cleaned and reinstalled thousands of bricks in the walls as part of the renovation.