Developed on an adjacent parcel to the original campus, the $22-million Village at RiverMead project expands and revitalizes a 20-year-old continuing care retirement community. The 135,000-sq-ft project added 30 independent living units in a multistory apartment style building, 10 cottages, 20 one-bedroom assisted living units and a community center. General contractor Cutler Associates offered an upgrades program that gave residents of each independent living unit or cottage the opportunity to customize their space.

Challenged with balancing between a very lean budget and high-quality standards, the team went through several rounds of value engineering. During that process several sustainability priorities were retained, including a geothermal system for heating and cooling.

Adding to the construction challenge, leadership of the community changed mid-construction. The team quickly built a relationship with the new leaders and re-aligned project priorities to ensure a continued seamless project workflow.

The team promoted constant communication between disciplines. Cutler brought in interdisciplinary peer review at regular intervals, allowing the team to critique the work from various perspectives and further focus on quality goals. Cutler also encouraged subcontractors to call attention to potential problems or deviations and then worked with them to find solutions.

The Village at RiverMead, Peterborough, N.H.

Key Players

General Contractor Cutler Associates

Owner RiverMead

Design Firm JSA Inc.

Structural Engineer JSN Associates

Civil Engineer TF Moran

Landscape Design G2+1

Mechanical Engineering and Plumbing Design VAV International

Electrical Engineering DiIorio Engineering

Interior Design Merlino Design Partnership

Geothermal Design Wellspring Geothermal