Find Out Here What's Under Construction On or Near Campus
May 22, 2013
Building Facade Work
Building 1
Building 2
Building 9
Building 68
Pedestrian Railroad Crossing
219 Vassar Street
610 Main Street
Novartis Cambridge Campus
130 Brookline Street and 17 Tudor Street Project
Building Façade Work
Repair and investigatory work are underway on these buildings: 13, 16, 24, 37, NW13, W31, E23, E34, E40, W91, and NW61. The façades are being inspected and some will receive immediate repairs if needed. There may be noise generated by the use of chipping hammers. Other work includes patching and the removal of small sections. There should be little impact from dust because the contractor is using equipment that should capture much of the dust created.
The schedule is through the end of May 2013 with the work on each building taking approximately five days to complete. After the investigatory process is finished, a contractor may return to do additional repairs that are required. Any future projects will be longer and may last for several weeks. The hours of construction are from 7 AM to 3:30 PM, with the schedule for any student residences being from 9:30 until 5 PM. Activities that will generate the most extensive noise will be done on the weekends.
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Building 1
A project that will upgrade the fire alarm and fire protection systems in Building 1 is underway and will continue through early August 2013. In order to minimize the impact on occupants of the building, the working hours will be from 6 PM to 2 AM. This upgrade will go through all floors of the building including public spaces as well as offices and labs. Construction activities such as hammering, drilling and cutting sheet metal and piping will generate noise and vibration throughout the building.
Overnight work in the Main Parking lot is underway until mid May. This project will require the use of four parking spaces. The construction area will be fenced off and access to both Buildings 1 and 5 will remain available. Work hours will be from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Construction activities include digging the surface at the entrance of Building 5 from main lot area in order to install an 8 inch fire protection main pipe. All loud noises such as hammering, drilling and cutting sheet metal should stop by 7:00 am. A police detail will be onsite.
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Building 2
Exterior
Scaffolding erection is underway at south face of north wing. There will be traffic and noise generated by trucks travelling in Lowell Court. Other activities in Lowell Court include installation of temporary lighting and construction barriers; erect trash chute at Killian Court.
Demolition of mechanical penthouses and slab on the roof will generate noise.
As demolition progresses, there will be activities related to the delivery and removal of dumpsters. This may generate noise.
Interior
Begin to demo third floor partitions; install temporary power and heat detectors in the north wing; and demo pipe ducts. These activities will generate noise: testing of temporary fire alarm system (early mornings).
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Building 9
Refurbishment on the first elevator is completed, so one elevator is back in service. The second elevator is now receiving an upgrade. That elevator is scheduled to be in service in mid June 2013.
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Building 68
The building is scheduled to be powerwashed from mid May until early June. This project is weather dependent, but is expected to take approximately three weeks to complete. The work hours are from 7 AM to 3 PM. An ariel lift will be used to do the work. During the powerwashing, pedestrian traffic may be redirected.
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Pedestrian Railroad Crossing
At the railroad crossing, federal safety requirements mandate signal bells and lights to activate and the gate to lower when a train approaches. At the same time, the train engineer is required to sound the horn. This activation will occur when the train is 400 feet before the crossing. The MBTA has programmed the signal bells for the quietest sound level legally allowed.
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219 Vassar Street
Construction activities currently underway include: framing and sheath exterior walls, installation of glass windows, the installation of curbing and patching of sidewalks.
Construction activities related to the project may lead to an increase in truck traffic on Vassar Street.
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610 Main Street
The pharmaceutical company Pfizer will lease research space from MIT in a new building (Six Ten at MIT) being constructed at 610 Main Street South. This building will house Pfizer's Cardiovascular, Metabolic, and Endocrine Disease (CVMED) and its Neuroscience Research Units. Pfizer anticipates moving into the new space in late 2013.
Construction activities planned for May, June, and July include: HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, wall framing, sheetrock, painting, ceilings, and elevator installation. The terra cotta and composite metal panels on the exterior facade are halfway installed and are expected to be finished in June. The man and material hoists located on the west side of the building will be dismantled next month as well. In addition, the removal of the last braces used to support the north garage excavation, and all remaining site work including landscaping will commence in May.
General activities include Portland Street, Albany Street, and Main Street utility work, weekly rodent control monitoring by Boris Pest Control, and a daily manual and machine sweeping of Main, Portland, and Albany Streets adjacent to the construction site.
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Novartis Cambridge Campus
Mass excavation is complete. Only minor excavation remains in a few areas associated with underground drainage. Foundation work including walls, footings, and slabs continue onsite.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact cambridge.campus@novartis.com or call 617-418-0270 or visit the Novartis website.
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130 Brookline Street and 17 Tudor Street Project
130 Brookline Street:
Construction activities scheduled in May and June include installation of architectural finishes, MEP installation, elevator installation, penthouse louver installation, penthouse exterior finishing installation, site paving and landscaping at parking areas.
17 Tudor Street
Current activities include: minor punch list items, final inspections, and exterior masonry repointing. The penthouse exterior siding work is ongoing
Exterior Work
The parking area between 130 Brookline Street and 17 Tudor Street will be paved and landscaped over the next few weeks. In addition, 16 individual bicycle lockers for the use of the building tenants who bike to work will be installed.
Questions and Concerns
Should you have questions, issues, or concerns relating to construction activities, please call the contractor, Walsh Brothers Incorporated: 617.714.4264.
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