Cool construction

Moorings Park in Naples is one of the most prominent senior living communities in Southwest Florida. Founded in 1977 by members of Moorings Presbyterian Church, the 83-acre community is home to more than 700 residents in independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing and home health environments.

Moorings Park is off of North Goodlette Frank Road, south of Pine Ridge Road. The campus includes upscale and casual dining options; comprehensive physician services; state-of-the art fitness centers; and multiple social activities.

Boston-based Suffolk Construction, with a regional headquarters in Estero, has been working on a variety of projects at Moorings Park since at least 2015, for a total value that surpasses $100 million. Two projects underway include a clubhouse addition and renovation and a new residential building.

• Project: Moorings Park, Building R
• Builder: Suffolk Construction
• Architect: BSSW, Fort Myers
• Location: 120 Moorings Park Drive
• Start date: August 2016
• Projected completion date: November
• Value: $23.5 million
• Size: 78,616 square feet. Four-story tower; three floors of living space on top of one floor of parking. There will be six units per floor, for a total of 18 units.
• Challenges: The latest residential tower at Moorings Park is in the middle of an already busy campus. “This was the last piece of land available, and it's on a really small footprint,” says Suffolk project executive Rod Nobrega. “We have to make it work without disrupting the residents' daily lives.” That requires some unusual logistics. For example, space to stage machines and equipment is limited, and there's no room for crews to park. So Suffolk rented a parking lot from the city of Naples a mile or so away, where construction employees park their cars. Suffolk then provides a bus to drive the employees to the job site. The site, which also houses equipment, is patrolled by a security force — paid for by Suffolk — and parking is limited to one car per subcontractor.
• What's next: Suffolk is in pre-construction for a $200 million project, Moorings Park at Grand Lake. On a separate campus, the project consists of 14 seven-story buildings, which will be built three at a time based on sales.