BOSTON – March 28, 2024 – Kaplan Construction, a WBE general contractor and construction management firm providing comprehensive building programs across Greater Boston, announced today their work on Trust Early Learners in Brookline, Mass. has earned the company a national Excellence in Construction® Eagle Award, presented during the annual Associated Builders and Contractors National Convention in Orlando, Fla. on March 14. The EIC awards recognized 91 of the nation’s top construction projects in 2023 as the leading national competition that annually honors general and specialty contractors for industry-leading, safe, and innovative construction projects from across the country.
Kaplan was hired in 2017 to provide preconstruction and construction services for The Martin Trust Partnership in Education for Early Learners’ flagship early education center, a new 20,000 SF five-story steel building located at 127 Harvard Street in Brookline, Mass. The demolition of an existing two-story building was executed during preconstruction before construction began in earnest in 2019. Notable construction challenges included working within the building’s tight 9,000 SF footprint and navigating an abutting store built in 1850. To prevent any structural impact to the abutter’s foundation, Kaplan installed an earth retention system and utilized deep foundation methods to transfer the building load safely.
Trust Early Learners features six spacious classrooms, a library, sensory gym, learning kitchen, STEM room, makerspace, rooftop playground, and administrative offices. The diversity-focused early education center began welcoming children in January of 2022
The EIC awards honor every member of the construction team, including the contractor, owner, architect, and engineer. The winning projects are judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, innovation, and safety.
A panel of industry experts served as the competition’s judges. This year’s judges included representatives from At Home, the Design-Build Institute of America, Engineering News-Record, Marriott, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Building Sciences, the Smithsonian Institute and other select construction-related firms nationwide.
The project team members for Trust Early Learners include:
- Owner: Martin Trust Partnership in Education for Early Learners
- Construction Manager: Kaplan Construction
- Architect: CBT
- Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineer: Wozny/Barbar & Associates, Inc.
- Civil Engineer: Bryant Associates
- Structural Engineer: Foley Buhl Roberts & Associates, Inc.