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Acella Construction Announces Completion of Plata Lab for MIT
PEMBROKE and CAMBRIDGE, MA, ISSUED APRIL 18, 2019…Acella Construction Corporation, a leader in construction management throughout greater Boston, today announced the completion of a retrofitted lab for Professor Desiree Plata of MIT, located at 15 Vassar Street in Cambridge.
Desiree Plata joined MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in July 2018, and is the Gilbert W. Winslow Career Development Professor in Civil Engineering and Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Union College and her Ph.D. in chemical oceanography and environmental chemistry from the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s joint program in oceanography. Plata’s work is in the area of environmental chemistry, with applications in minimizing the environmental impact of emerging industries, with a particular focus on nanotechnologies across the energy sector. She has made fundamental contributions to the field of heterogeneous catalysis with respect to the bond-building mechanisms in carbon nanotube synthesis, which can be leveraged to lessen environmental impacts.
This 2,000-square-foot lab was retrofitted to meet the needs of Professor Plata’s research interests, including novel material design, carbon-based materials, global carbon budgets and response strategies, oil and gas development, oil spills and remediation technologies, gas extraction and distribution systems, resource management utilization and efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Acella completed VFDs and casework, and installed Phoenix supply and exhaust valves that were tied into the existing mechanical system, as well as a gas canister closet to hold flammable gases and specialty stainless steel piping (orbital welded) for the gases.
The Acella academic team worked with Jones Architecture, RWS Engineering, Inc., and MIT Project Manager Katie Jenkins on this project, coordinating to ensure the project was kept under budget and on time.
“As with many of our academic projects, our team worked creatively and collaboratively to meet the tight deadline for the completion of this new lab,” said Ryan LaVangie, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Acella Construction. “Professor Plata is doing important work, and we are glad to have added her lab to our MIT portfolio of work.”
About Acella Construction Corporation
Founded in 2003, Acella delivers a premium suite of construction management services, including design-build and pre-construction solutions for business owners, commercial real estate developers, and discerning institutional and retail clients among academic, healthcare, corporate and community organizations.
Acella is located at 38 Washington Street, Pembroke, MA 02359. For more information, please visit or call 781.681.9240.
Working with Acella was great. They were always available to answer my questions and they kept me in the loop every step of the way. They were very flexible and patient and worked around our working schedule – sometimes coming in very early in the morning. Their work turned out wonderfully and they even painted a large wall that was not part of the scope to get the whole space looking shiny and new. This was my first renovation project and they made me look good! I would highly recommend Acella.