Department of Unemployment Assistance

OVERVIEW

We are currently in the construction document phase for a new $22M state office building for the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) in Brockton MA. This 33,000 GSF urban infill building will be comprised of modern, flexible workspaces for the contact center, hearings rooms (where the DUA interfaces with the public by hearing disputed cases with legal representation present), and administrative staff. This project is designed with a cross laminated timber (CLT) and glulam beam and column structural system. Given DUA’s staff fluctuates based on the State’s unemployment rate, flexible workspaces are of the highest priority.

The ground floor will also be home to a downtown outpost for Massasoit Community College (MCC). Pairing DUA with an academic partner who can provide workforce training is a unique opportunity for the Commonwealth, MCC, and the City of Brockton.

In 2017 Jones Architecture completed a feasibility study to assess two locations in downtown Brockton: DUA’s existing building at 36 Main Street and an alternate site at 226 Main Street. It was determined that the site at 226 Main Street was the more appropriate fit both for programmatic reasons and for urban development in Brockton.