Suffolk stages virtual groundbreaking
With three shovels full of dirt, Suffolk Construction’s brand new 40,000-squarefoot headquarters expansion rose from the ground. Magic? Nah, just a virtual reality computer simulation.
The Hub construction giant held a “virtual” groundbreaking for the expansion yesterday, promising to use cutting-edge technology to design, plan and build its buildings.
“We really take pride in the fact that we are transforming the construction experience by using technologies that are revolutionizing our industry,” said John Fish, chairman and chief executive of Suffolk.
The expanded headquarters will make room for 100 more employees, but will center on a new innovation lab, where Suffolk plans to test and develop new technologies.
“We are going to be front and center on the new technologies,” said Chris Mayer, Suffolk’s chief innovation officer. “Core to all of that is really our virtual design and construction process.”
Mayer said the focus will be on virtual and augmented reality, technologies he said will make planning and design easier and better. Augmented reality — where an image is superimposed on a real world scene — could be used to see how an in-progress project will look when it’s finished. Yesterday, a hologram — which could only be seen with special glasses — was projected in the lobby, allowing visitors to walk around and examine the planned expansion.
The expansion will also add an outdoor basketball court and an expanded cafeteria and fitness center, alongside the existing 70,000-square-foot headquarters.
Fish said he had his eye on a new headquarters in the South Boston Seaport District, but Mayor Martin J. Walsh convinced him to stay in Roxbury, where Suffolk has been headquartered for 27 years.
“Roxbury is on the verge of a real, unprecedented boom here in terms of creating opportunities for employment, and having an anchor like Suffolk is important,” Walsh said.