Taunton Detached Mail Unit
Taunton, Massachusetts

ARCADD, Inc. was commissioned to design and build the new Taunton Detached Mail Unit in Taunton, MA. The building is located on a former army camp. The design utilizes a simple post, beam, and bar joist steel structure with metal roof decking. The building is surrounded by block veneer and metal facial paneling up to the new roof. The front of the building faces Miles Standish Boulevard while the main access for all USPS trucks and vehicles is from Robert E. Paine Parkway.

The front office area is designed to allow the Post Master and his staff to meet the public to establish new business accounts. Supervisory offices are located around the main work room, an open 22-foot-tall space, that houses new multi-bin sorting machines. The building includes a look out gallery, multiple loading docks and garages, support offices, lockers and toilets, mechanical rooms with HVAC units, electrical utility and fire sprinkler units.

The building is based on the Kit-of-Parts design used by the United States Postal Service. The cluster of spaces were selected from supplied put together by the architectural and engineering staff of ARCADD, Inc.

The building has a mechanically fastened EPDM roofing system. The HVAC system is roof mounted with air duct distribution. Exterior walls are constructed of 6 inch steel studs using lateral force design as required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Building Code. The studs are covered by CMU veneer using various patterns and block finishes to create a simple design commensurate with local industrial standards established by the Miles Standish Industrial Park Development Board.

The building is one of the most economic structures of its kind. ARCADD is proud of completing this design as it remains one of the most successful structures in operation for the United States Postal Service. The cost per square foot is extremely low for such a well-built structure. With a total building cost of $1,911,000, the Taunton Detached Mail Unit was finished within the estimated time and budget.