First mass timber building at Pease secures anchor tenant
Industrial business leases 70% of commercial building amid pandemic
One month after construction was completed, Cushman & Wakefield announced it has secured a large, industrial business to lease the entire second and third floors of 90 Aboretum Drive, New England’s first mass timber commercial office building.
Located within the Pease International Tradeport in Newington, 90 Arboretum Dr. is designed for conventional Class-A office use. But instead of steel and concrete beams, columns and decks, the building is constructed of manufactured timber elements, allowing occupants to be surrounded by timber structure. Construction began in October 2019 and was completed last month.
“90 Arboretum Dr. is truly one of a kind,” said Denis Dancoes, senior director at Cushman & Wakefield. “It is the only significant speculative, non-life science office building built in the northeast during Covid-19 and, despite all odds, has had great success in capturing the market’s attention. We’re thrilled to see superior quality tenants taking an interest in more sustainable, healthy and eco-friendly office space.”
Designed by Boston’s SGA Architects, 90 Arboretum Dr. features exposed timber structure, enormous 9’ 6” high windows and ceiling heights of 14 to 22 feet. The HVAC system is an ultra-modern, all-electric VRV system that is fully exposed above the occupied spaces. The structure encompasses 1,800 cubic meters of timber, representing 1586 tons of stored carbon dioxide — the equivalent of eliminating the emissions of 465 cars for one year.
“We’re extremely grateful to the state of New Hampshire and Governor Chris Sununu for their help and support during the build out process of this building,” said John Power at Farley White Interests. “Being the first timber office building in New Hampshire required support and adoption of the 2015 version of the International Building Code from the building officials in Newington, Portsmouth and the State Fire Marshal’s office. In order to achieve a mass timber structure, our architect, SGA Architects, applied provisions of the 2015 International Building Code to this innovative structure. We also benefitted from the straightforward way the Pease Development Authority handled the approval process. This level-headed approach to business is one of the reasons that Farley White was attracted to investing in New Hampshire.”
The Arboretum Pease office development also provides convenient access to local services, restaurants, hotels and conference centers, with immediate access to I-95, the Spaulding Turnpike and Woodbury Avenue.
“I’m incredibly excited that even through tough economic times, New Hampshire continues to grow and attract new business opportunities for our citizens,” said Governor Chris Sununu.
The Cushman & Wakefield team of Denis Dancoes, Thomas Farrelly, and Sue Ann Johnson represented the owner, Farley White Interests, in the transaction. Kent White of the Boulos Company represented the new tenant.
