Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Headquarters

Working with DSF Advisors, GEI Consultants assisted in renovating the Necco Candy Factory at 250 Mass Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts into laboratory and office space for Novartis Pharmaceutical.

Today, the 500,000-square-foot facility houses more than 1,000 scientists and technology experts conducting critical pharmaceutical research.

Necco produced candy at the property since 1926, and, as part of these operations, they stored and heated corn syrup in tanks that were recessed into the basement floor of the building. The resulting increased subsurface temperatures combined with a high groundwater table and the specific nature of the geology under the candy factory created near perfect conditions for the migration of No. 6 fuel oil.

Usually, No. 6 fuel oil does not migrate far from the original source because of its high viscosity. However, in this case, the special site conditions allowed No. 6 fuel oil that had leaked from two underground storage tanks (USTs) to migrate over 150 feet and under nearly half of the five-story candy factory.

Based on a Method 3 risk characterization, we concluded that remediation of the No. 6 oil contamination was not required to achieve a condition of No Significant Risk as long as an Activity and Use Limitation (AUL) was placed on the property. However, Novartis requested that the oil contaminated soil be removed to the extent practicable. Since this level of cleanup was beyond what was required under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP), GEI helped DSF and Novartis negotiate a cost sharing agreement for this work. After this agreement was negotiated, GEI worked closely with the construction manager, excavation contractor, structural engineer, and geotechnical engineer for the redevelopment project to develop a method of excavating as much of the oil contaminated soil as practicable.

Remediation of the oil contaminated soil was integrated into the overall redevelopment schedule. The robust construction of the candy factory allowed sections of the basement floor to be removed, and the oil-contaminated soil under the building was excavated and replaced with clean imported material. Additional oil contaminated soil was excavated from outside the footprint of the candy factory. The work was performed as a series of Immediate Response Actions (IRAs) and Release Abatement Measures (RAMs). The regulations at the time required that DEP approve the concurrent performance of these activities and this approval was granted. An AUL was still placed on the property because all of the oil- contaminated soil could not be excavated; however, to afford Novartis maximum flexibility, the AUL allowed for a daycare at the site.

As the LSP of Record, GEI worked closely with the geotechnical engineer regarding soil management associated with the construction of the on-site underground parking garage.