Chesapeake Shipbuilding Expansion
Location Salisbury, MD
Client Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corporation
Date of Completion Expansion Site: 2012; Office Bldg.: Ongoing
Services #Architecture #Civil / Site Engineering #Consulting #Marine Engineering #Structural Engineering
Sectors #Commercial #Environmental #Industrial #Marine Facilities #Offices #Other Industrial #Sustainable Site Design
Chesapeake Shipbuilding, a leading shipbuilder and naval architecture firm, acquired three acres of adjacent property to expand their operations. GMB’s Structural & Marine Engineering Group was enlisted to perform a Feasibility Study on the expansion site, currently an empty lot with derelict bulkhead along the Wicomico River. GMB was then asked to design the recommended improvements based on the Feasibility Study.
The project involved the construction of 295 feet of steel bulkhead along the entire waterfront of the property to replace the existing failing bulkhead. Other improvements include an access road, employee parking, a 40’ X 100’ excavated basin, a 6,000-square-foot building, and a submerged gravel wetland.
In addition to the study and design, GMB provided permitting assistance for local, state, and federal permits, including a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and a Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas Report. Final permit approvals were received in Spring 2011.
In 2021, Chesapeake Shipbuilding enlisted GMB’s services for the design of a new Office Building located on their shipyard property. The new two-story administrative office building consists of approximately 5,000 SF per floor to house offices, training and conference rooms, breakroom waiting areas, and support spaces. Construction of the new office building began in November 2022.
