Verrill Dana Renovation

The project is a 60,000-sf renovation of the top four floors of a ten-story building in Portland, Maine. The client is a large law firm that needed to renovate their office, over 30 years old, to meet contemporary needs and practices. Most significantly, area previously dedicated to a law library was available for repurposing since legal resources are resourced electronically. This offered an opportunity to create shared space at the core of the building with visual corridors to views of the city and harbor.

The most significant change to the building is a two-story opening visually connecting the ninth and tenth floors surrounded by meeting space on both floors.  This creates a “common” for employees and clients to gather and meet and opens the interior of the building to spectacular views of Portland. The program included a meeting space for ninety, which was located on the ninth floor adjacent to a large two-story breakout space. This permits large gatherings to be accommodated easily, including food and beverage service from an adjacent kitchen. Glass walls enclose all meeting rooms to open internal vistas and allow natural light to penetrate the building. Audio-visual technology is integrated throughout.

Other improvements include a law library/staff lounge and training room on the eighth floor. Finishes were replaced and bathrooms expanded and made more accessible. Access control systems were installed to improve security. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems were replaced.

Only 6,000-sf of swing space was available, so a ten-phase, eighteen-month construction schedule was developed to allow operations to remain uninterrupted during renovations.