Battery Wharf is a mixed-use property featuring 104 condos, a hotel, retail shops, restaurants and a 300-foot marina.

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In the who’s who list of today’s luxury mixed-use general contractors, Skanska USA Building Inc. seems to have taken center stage in the Boston marketplace. The contractor is in the midst of revitalizing the historic harbor on the city’s North End as it constructs Battery Wharf, a $275 million mixed-use development.

With the help of more than 50 subcontractors, the four-building wharf development will boast 104 one- to three-bedroom luxury condominiums; The Boston Regent, a 150-room boutique hotel; an 18,000-square-foot spa and fitness center; 300-foot marina; 376-space parking lot; and restaurants featuring European cuisine.

The low-rise complex was designed by architect Michael Liu, principal with Boston-based The Architectural Team and developed by Development Management Corp. This team, along with Skanska, had the unique task of bringing a unique vision to reality. Two of the four buildings are built on wharf structures supported by concrete piles driven deep into the harbor, making it one of the most unique, yet challenging aspects of the Battery Wharf project.

Changing With the Tides
The 4.5-acre site on which the property is being constructed was former home to a seafood processing plant for Bay State Lobster and an adjacent parking lot. The site was used as for shipping as early as the 1640s.

Since Skanska broke ground in 2005, the company has had to deal with tight space logistics, oceanfront tidal issues and some difficult soil conditions, says Senior Project Director David Ellis. To transport piles and precast materials, Skanska rented a facility on the Charles River near the site where materials were offloaded to barges and shipped to the wharf. “We have tried to utilize the water where we could, and most of the piling and wharf construction was constructed from barges,” he says.

The four-building complex is supported by a common foundation, which posed some challenges early on, Ellis admits. The sheet piling was unable to be driven to the required toe depths in several areas and an expansive grouting operation was required to prevent water from flooding the site and allow excavation and foundation operations to move forward. 

Aside from working in the tight confines of the site, an existing 807-foot-long granite seawall needed to be incorporated into the developments design without being altered. Originally constructed in 1646 of timber, the seawall was part of the former North Battery Wharf and was designed to protect the harbor and mouth of the Charles River.

“We had to drive sheet piling within the existing boundaries, that essentially preserved the seawall,” Ellis says. “Wharf construction that support two of the buildings was done from the water, while excavation and foundation work was formed on landside.”

Working from barges on the water, Skanska installed more than 400 concrete piles, Ellis notes. The pilings were driven up to 110 feet deep and connected with precast troughs and planks that were tied together with reinforcing and cast-in-place concrete. The wharf elements extended over the 12-foot-tall seawall and connect to the foundation wall.

The buildings must also meet strict guidelines as defined by Chapter 91 of the Massachusetts laws, which defines the standards for waterfront development. With the first residential occupancies expected by the end of the year and in early 2008, Ellis says his team is “sprinting towards the finish line.”

As Ellis explains, subcontracts were being procured during a time of rising and uncertain material costs in the industry. To control costs and tighten the schedule, a design-assist effort was conducted with several trades on the project including marine work, foundations, plumbing, electrical and HVAC.

The Regent will occupy the first two floors of the six-story Buildings 30 and 40 situated over the wharf, and will include, the hotel lobby, restaurant, lounge, bar and meeting space. The private residence marina will be adjacent to Building 30 with water taxi service on the opposite side, and the remaining four floors will be occupied by condos.

The five-story Buildings 20 and 50 are located along Commercial Street, and will house condos on the top levels, a spa and fitness center, a second restaurant and a cafe.

Skanska’s core group of experienced management on the project – most of when have 25 years experience in commercial construction and some with experience on other wharf developments – has been a boon to construction, Ellis says. The interior finishes are now being placed in the upper condo levels of Buildings 30 and 40. Interior framing and MPE rough operations are underway in Building 50. On Building 20, Skanska is framing the exterior walls and placing the brick masonry.

“The exterior of the building is constructed with a combination of precast brick and metal panels,” Ellis describes. “It fits in nicely with the surrounding structures in the North End.”

Executing A Vision
One of the project’s goals was to blend in the structures with the wharf and the North End community, says project consultant Francois Nivaud, also a principal at New England Management Services and former director of The Boston Harbor Hotel.

“The North End is primarily a residential area – it’s not warehouse or commercial – so it has a rich maritime heritage,” he says. “The North End is a very low-rise area built in brick. It’s a really beautiful and peaceful area.

“What we are trying to accomplish is a blending of the buildings. It’s really a formation between the wharf and the characteristics of the North End – it’s a liaison between the two.”

According to Nivaud, a resurgence in urban living makes the project ideal for Boston. “In Boston, what you have is a huge influx in people migrating back into the city with a very high demand for high-end urban living, and we don’t see an end to that,” Nivaud explains.