Merritt Construction Services and Merritt Properties Win Three Awards at NAIOP Award of Excellence Event

NAIOP-Maryland has named Merritt Construction Services and Merritt Properties the winner of three 2018 Awards of Excellence for Best Interior Rehab, Best Medical Office, and Best Build-to-Suit Office. Awards were distributed for the following projects:

• Merritt Construction Services (third-party): Best Interior Rehab – Agora, Inc.
• Merritt Properties: Best Medical Office – Buckingham
• Merritt Properties: Best Build-to-Suit Office – The Living Legacy Foundation

This marks Merritt’s second recognition for its work with Agora, having received a biennial NAIOP Award of Excellence in 2016 for the Best Low to Mid-Rise Office. Merritt received its second consecutive Best Medial Office award after being honored in 2016 for its work with Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC).

Located at 1125 North Charles Street in Baltimore, Agora Publishing hired Merritt Construction Services to transform a historical building into a state-of-the-art office. For the winning interior rehab project, Merritt renovated roughly 38,000 square feet of space throughout the building’s basement, first and second floors. Working within the existing footprint, concrete masonry walls were demolished in the basement to create a new, open-office floorplan with natural light from a first-floor plaza skylight. An illuminated backlit graphic wall system, featuring a forest scene, was also installed. The basement and first floor now host audio/video studio rooms, the main lobby was renovated, and approximately 100 new windows were installed along the perimeter of the first and second floors. All three floors feature full-height glass partitions, high-end millwork and cabinetry, integrated A/V systems, access controls and security, and feature walls made of Nicaraguan wood.

The Best Medical Office award recognized Merritt’s first Class-A office building constructed at  Buckingham, the company’s mixed-use development located in Anne Arundel County.  The two-story, 52,420-square-foot structure features a corbeled brick masonry façade in keeping with the development’s contemporary take on Baltimore vernacular. Timing requirements of the first tenant, Chesapeake Urology, allowed only 10 months to build the core and shell and complete the tenant fit-out. Slated for LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, design requirements were prioritized to reduce energy consumption by over 14% annually. The roof features a 37 kW solar photovoltaic system, generating nearly 7% of the annual energy use of the building, and a solar hot water collector. A sub-metering system allows monitoring of each tenant’s electrical consumption. Other features include fuel-efficient parking spaces, planting spaces to reduce irrigation water use by over 50%, and sustainably forested wood.  A second office building is now pre-leasing.

Lastly, Merritt Properties received an Award of Excellence for the Best Build-to-Suit Office for The Living Legacy Foundation. This renovation project consisted of a two-phase buildout to expand their existing single-story office from 33,000 square feet to a one-of-a-kind 47,633-square-foot, two-story office. As a 24-hour organ transplant facility, it was imperative that Living Legacy remained operational throughout the entire construction process. Occupying the end units of a single-story flex building prohibited the ability to expand further. Therefore, Merritt devised a unique plan to expand Living Legacy’s footprint vertically, rather than horizontally, with a 15,000-square-foot, second-story addition overtop of their existing space. The addition houses conference rooms, private offices, a training room, a kitchen, and an employee gym. Merritt completed their work on the project by renovating the existing first-floor office space to match the high-end, modern finishes of the addition and by adding a two-story reception area.

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About NAIOP-Maryland

NAIOP-MD is the statewide chapter of NAIOP, the leading trade association for developers, owners, investors and other professionals in industrial, office and mixed-use commercial real estate.  It has more than 340 members, comprised of individuals working for real estate development companies, brokerage firms and affiliated companies such as financial institutions, architectural firms and engineers.

About Merritt Construction Services

With a project portfolio of nearly 16 million square feet, Merritt Construction Services has been providing site development, general construction, redevelopment and interior build-outs for more than 50 years. Whether serving as general contractor, construction manager or design-builder, Merritt Construction Services offers full-service construction capabilities through all phases of development, from feasibility to commissioning. Merritt’s highly skilled construction team has completed a comprehensive roster of customized projects, including corporate campuses, LEED-certified green buildings, schools, manufacturing facilities and retail centers.

About Merritt Properties

Established more than 50 years ago in 1967, Merritt Properties is the largest privately held commercial real estate firm in Maryland, with nearly 16 million square feet of Class A office, flex, warehouse, industrial, retail and build-to-suit in the Baltimore/Washington area. Capabilities include leasing, property development and management, and financing. Merritt Properties is committed to Creating Homes for Businesses and providing the highest quality service to its customers.