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Manufacturing facility / Photos by Bob Umenhofer REXA exterior

Middleborough, MA – Maugel DeStefano Architects and Integrated Builders completed REXA, Inc.’ s new 112,000sf corporate headquarters and advanced manufacturing facility at Campus 44 in Middleborough. Located off Route 44 with access to I-495, the new headquarters positions REXA within one of Massachusetts’ key industrial and transportation corridors.

The ground-up facility brings REXA’ s corporate, engineering, R & D, manufacturing, assembly and distribution operations together within a purposebuilt environment designed around the company’ s production process. REXA manufactures and services electraulic actuators, requiring a facility capable of supporting everything from machining and component assembly to testing, finishing, storage and shipping.

Working with Maugel DeStefano Architects, Integrated Builders delivered a manufacturing building constructed with tilt-wall concrete panels, structural steel framing, a TPO roofing system and a Ductilcrete concrete floor slab. The production environment provides a minimum 28-foot clear height with a 74-by-56-foot structural bay grid, creating an open, flexible manufacturing floor.

“ REXA’ s new headquarters is a great example of what can be accomplished through strong collaboration from the earliest stages of a project,” said Jay Dacey, CEO of Integrated Builders.“ Working closely with REXA, Maugel DeStefano Architects, VMD Companies, STV and Boston Industrial Consulting, our team coordinated the building, infrastructure and equipment around REXA’ s manufacturing process. The result is a highly functional facility that supports their operations today while providing the flexibility to accommodate continued growth.”

The facility was organized around REXA’ s manufacturing workflow. Dedicated spaces include a machine shop, welding, electrical and mechanical assembly, QA / QC, R & D laboratory

and office areas, service and repair, receiving, shipping, warehouse and stock areas, along with specialized paint and sandblasting operations.

Supporting these operations required extensive coordination of equipment and building systems. The manufacturing floor incorporates compressed-air distribution, connections for machining equipment and floor-mounted cranes, and dedicated infrastructure serving the paint booth, sandblasting booth and oven. The paint and sandblast area also required a dedicated negative-air HVAC system to support the specialized finishing operations.

The production layout was developed around substantial equipment and material loads, including floor-mounted cranes, machining equipment, racking and dedicated storage areas for large valves and cylinders. The early production plan identified crane capacities of up to 10 tons and concentrated storage loads reaching approximately 120,000 pounds, making coordination between the slab, equipment layout and building systems an important component of the project.

The facility also includes a two-level, 20,000sf corporate office environment designed by Maugel DeStefano’ s interior design team to support engineering, R & D, sales, marketing, finance, purchasing, customer support, technical services and production control. The office program also includes conference and collaboration spaces, a break room, a kitchenette and a two-story lobby, creating a headquarters that connects REXA’ s administrative and technical teams directly with its manufacturing operations.

“ REXA’ s new headquarters presented an opportunity to design a facility around the company’ s advanced manufacturing process, bringing engineering, R & D, production, testing, assembly and corporate operations together in one integrated work environment,” said Mike Kunz, principal at Maugel DeStefano Architects.“ The project was truly a team effort, requiring close coordination between the manufacturing process, equipment, building systems and workplace design. The collaboration among REXA, the design and construction teams resulted in an optimized facility that supports REXA’ s operations and strengthens the region’ s industrial base.”

Project team members included Integrated Builders, Maugel DeStefano Architects, VMD Companies, STV, Boston Industrial Consulting, Inc., Kelly Engineering Group, Flood Consulting, Quieto Consulting Engineers and Hawk Design, Inc.

Designed in accordance with Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code requirements, the building uses allelectric heating and air conditioning throughout the office areas, while the

Café production area is served by propane-fired rooftop units. The roof was also designed with more than 33,000sf designated as solar-ready area, supporting future energy infrastructure as REXA’ s operations continue to evolve.

Construction at Southbridge Fire Station / Photos courtesy of PDS Engineering & Construction

East Longmeadow, MA – PDS Engineering & Construction, Inc. has delivered East Longmeadow Self-Storage, a 3-story, 61,000sf building with more than 500 units, and is now 90 % complete on the 25,000sf Southbridge Fire Station.

Finished in 2025 for CJ Bardy, the steel-framed self-storage project included sitework, concrete, an elevator, two stairwells, an office, a glass curtain wall, interior finishes, and plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and sprinkler systems.

In Southbridge, PDS is constructing a new firehouse for the town. The structural steel, block, and wood-framed station features a 14-bay apparatus area, along

Aerial of East Longmeadow Self-Storage

with offices, a kitchen, a breakroom, bunk rooms, restrooms, a training tower, a laundry room, and turnout gear storage. Work is on track for completion in 2026.

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