April 2026 29

By Brian Keenan

In Rye, New Hampshire, the nearcompletion of Benchmark Senior Living’ s assisted living addition at Benchmark at Rye represents more than construction progress— it reflects the successful execution of a long-term alliance and the tangible result of South Coast Improvement Company’ s Build. Refresh. Consult approach.

The 60,000sf, 2-story addition introduces 70 assisted living apartments to an existing, award-winning memory care community. Located on the seacoast, on Route 1 just a mile from the beach and Portsmouth, the community keeps residents connected to the people, passions and things that matter most. The project emerged from ongoing collaboration with Benchmark Senior Living, during which early consultation identified both the need and the opportunity to expand services in the Seacoast region.

Building Without Disruption Constructing within an active senior living campus requires exceptional control. Safety, noise, and access must be carefully managed to avoid disrupting residents and staff. The project also required a full-site transformation across 4.5 acres, including clearing mature woodlands, installing a

new septic system, and integrating stormwater bioretention infrastructure while maintaining uninterrupted operations.

Layered onto this complexity was the reality of working through two full New England winters, requiring careful planning around weather impacts, site conditions, and schedule continuity. Maintaining progress under these conditions demands adaptability, sequencing discipline, and close coordination across all teams.

At peak construction, more than 100 subcontractors were active on site. As the project progressed, density increased, with finish trades, millworkers, flooring installers, painters, and MEP teams working concurrently in tightly controlled zones.

Rendering of the completed Benchmark at Rye expansion

Precision Coordination at Scale

South Coast Improvement Company implemented a phased, highly coordinated approach to manage this complexity. Site logistics were segmented to maintain safe access, while zone-based sequencing enabled multiple trades to

work simultaneously without conflict.

This level of coordination reflects the strength of the Build. Refresh. Consult. approach, where early planning informs execution strategies that reduce risk and

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