Enterprise Research Campus Phase A
Development work is underway of the future Enterprise Research Campus (ERC) in Allston across from Harvard Business School (HBS) bordered by the Mass Pike, Western Avenue, Hague Street, and the National Resilience Inc. facility at 500 Soldiers Field Road. Phase A will consist of two lab buildings designed for research and development; an apartment building with roughly 345 units, including approximately 86 affordable units (25%) available to households with incomes ranging from 30-100% of the Area Median Income (AMI); a hotel; and a conference center operated by Harvard University. The Greenway will be central to the site and become an active public space with programming and events.
Residential/Hotel
Bulk excavation of the site will continue this month. The first of two tower cranes has been erected and is operational. It is designed to move or “weathervane” in the wind. The second tower crane is targeted to be erected on November 25th and 26th. Extended work hours and a start time of 5AM are needed both days to support this work. Concrete placement and rebar operations will be ongoing through the month. Crews are targeting November 9th and November 15th to place concrete for the high rise and tower crane foundation. This work will require an early start time of 5AM due to the nature of the work.
Laboratory and Office Buildings
Bulk excavation of the site foundation will be completed this month. Concrete and rebar placement operations will continue this month. A large mat slab placement is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 18th. Due to the amount of concrete needed to complete this placement, an early start time of 2:30AM is necessary to complete this work later Saturday evening.
Greenway
This section of the site is currently being used for laydown space until crews mobilize in the coming months.
Treehouse Conference Center
Crews have mobilized on site as construction begins. Excavation operations will resume on November 7th. Soil will be removed from the site via highway trucking and rail simultaneously. Soil removed by rail is transported to Beacon Park Yard by intermodal trucks on the site’s private haul road.
Building Mock-Ups
The Laboratory and Office Building crews will be completing their two mockups this month. Construction is underway for the two Residential/Hotel mockups with steel targeting to be erected mid-November followed by façade work. The Treehouse Conference Center will construct the final mockup of the five total starting in December. These mockups help to assess the design and constructability of the buildings.
- There will continue to be increased truck traffic on Western Ave during project work hours, typically 7AM to 3PM Monday through Friday. Some truck lining activities may begin at 6:30AM.
- Saturday work is targeted to take place this month.
- Occasional off-hour equipment drop offs/pickups may be necessary with no unloading until 7AM. Also, wide load equipment may be delivered early in the morning.
- Contractors and subcontractors are directed to have all trucks follow approved truck routes to/from the jobsite to ensure they are not traveling on neighborhood streets. A security officer has been monitoring truck routes at Cambridge and Windom streets.
- Construction noise will continue during work hours.
- Truck wheel wash stations are operational with wheel wells being washed before exiting the site.
- Dust control measures remain in place.
Harvard’s District Energy Facility (DEF)
- The 12 Western Avenue driveway to Harvard’s District Energy Facility (DEF) remains on Milestone Street.
North Allston Storm Drain Extension Project (NASDEP)
The NASDEP is a project for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) that is designed in collaboration with Harvard University to alleviate the inundated existing storm water systems in the North Allston neighborhood. The proposed modifications to the BWSC stormwater management system will significantly improve its performance by providing much needed additional conveyance capacity. The enabling work for the project began in 2021 and will continue through 2024. The increased capacity systems are designed to extend from the area south of the new Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), connecting to an existing stormwater drain system in Rena Park, routing through the ERC and following behind the National Resilience Inc. (formerly Sanofi/Genzyme) facility before crossing Soldiers Field Road to an outfall in the Charles River.
- Work continues on structures inside the site off Trotting Avenue.
- The attenuation storage facility within the site has reached substantial completion.
- Structure restoration work of the area will finish this month.
- Culverts will be delivered and placed from east to west towards Rotterdam Street.
- Activity on-site is ongoing and in accordance with access and monitoring protocols.
- Truck traffic to and from the site continues using the designated route from Hague Street.
- Noise will continue to be intermittent.
- Dust control measures are in place.
Kresge Way and Extension of Thermal Pipes and Electrical Duct Bank
As part of Harvard’s infrastructure improvements in Allston, the University has relocated utilities across Western Avenue, over to and on Kresge Way, the main driveway into the Harvard Business School (HBS) campus. A temporary drive to Kresge Way remains open to the west of the existing drive. Traffic continues to be relocated to this interim drive on Western Avenue.
- The final connections of the thermal and chilled water piping will be completed this month.
- This will be followed by camera inspections and pressure testing.
- Site restoration work will begin in December.
- Construction will be phased in smaller segments to minimize impacts to visitors, pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles.
- Appropriate signage and police details will be in place.
- During project hours 7AM to 3PM (at times may extend to 6PM), the work will generate intermittent noise due to the presence of work crews and the use of construction equipment including a vacuum truck and drill rig needed to perform this work.
92 Seattle Street
- Renovation is underway for reuse of this Harvard building.
- Removal of demo materials will continue through the month and other preparation for a slab placement.
- Crews are targeting to complete work on a Boston Water and Sewer water line during the month.
- Work hours will be Monday through Friday, 7AM to 3PM with possible intermittent coordinated Saturday work.
175 North Harvard Street/100 South Campus Drive
- Complete building demolition work has begun.
- Demolition activities will continue into the month of December.
- Utility work along a section of South Campus drive requires a temporary diversion road, which will modify vehicular traffic routes and pedestrian crossings. As of Friday, November 3, South Campus Drive has been diverted, and this diversion will be in place for approximately two months.
- Project enabling activities will begin in late November and will continue through January followed by the anticipated start of building construction.
- Enabling activities will include some pile driving and vibrating sheet piles into the ground in preparation for building construction.
- These types of activities do generate noise and may also generate some perceptible vibrations.
- The MBTA bus stop and Blue Bike station have been relocated to the McCurdy track side of South Campus Drive.
- Project work hours will be Monday through Friday from 7AM to 6PM. Some Saturday work may be necessary as permitted by the City of Boston also from 7AM to 6PM.
210 North Harvard Street
- Landlord construction is mainly complete with possible sidewalk reconstruction.
- Tenant interior construction will continue into June 2024.
- Exterior sidewalk work may continue.
108 Holton Street
- Test pits have been conducted and a site fence has been installed in preparation for future demolition of the building.