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
Concrete placement and rebar operations will be ongoing through the month. The hotel core concrete work is complete. Structural steel deliveries and installation will begin at the hotel the week of April 8.
Laboratory and Office Buildings
Steel operations will continue this month. The west building steel continues to be raised now above level three. The lab’s second tower crane is anticipated to be assembled the week of April 8 with some needed off hours work. Crews will disassemble and remove the large mobile crane that has been on the site. West building structural steel operations are planned to begin after the tower crane is operational and will continue through the month.
Greenway
This section of the site is currently being used for laydown space until crews mobilize in the coming months.
Treehouse Conference Center
Rebar, concrete, and waterproofing operations are ongoing. Crews have been prepping for mass timber deliveries and installation to take place later this month. Eversource will be connecting temporary power to eliminate most generators on site. This activity will require a vacuum truck in the bike lane on Western Avenue in front of the site.
Building Mock-Ups
Adjustment and punch-list work on the Laboratory, Residential/Hotel, and Conference Center mockups will continue this month. These five mockups help to assess the design and constructability of the buildings. Intermittent deliveries will take a lane of Rotterdam Street adjacent to the mock-up site at the Hague Street lot.
- Three tower cranes have been erected and are operational. They are designed to move or “weathervane” in the wind.
- Saturday work is targeted to take place this month starting at 7 a.m. Due to weather delays in March, some concrete placements and steel installation may be necessary.
- Drones will be in use weekly to monitor construction progress and provide structural analysis on site.
- Drones will be operated by licensed pilots in accordance with Harvard University and the City of Boston regulations.
- Flights are weather dependent and are scheduled Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. alternating weekly.
- The next flight is scheduled for Friday, April 5 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Occasional off-hour equipment drop offs/pickups may be necessary with no unloading until 7 a.m. Also, wide load equipment may be delivered in the early morning hours.
- 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 and at North Harvard Street for early hour concrete placements.
- Increased security monitoring is planned for North Harvard Street during larger early morning placements.
- Construction noise will continue to be perceptible during work hours.
- Dust control measures remain in place.
- Concrete finishing work using power trowels may extend into the evenings.
- A switchover to temporary power continues eliminating the need for most generators on site.
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.
- Box culverts and structures are being installed from east to west towards Rotterdam Street.
- Upcoming work scheduled to start this month will in the area south of the SEC will require a shift in traffic patterns on Science Drive and the elimination of the parking lanes into 2025.
- 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. Some trucks carrying soil will be off road using the Beacon Rail Yard.
- 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. This phase of the work is wrapping up this month.
- Restoration of the site will be completed this month.
- The shift to the former Kresge Way alignment has happened with scheduled removal of the former bypass road.
- Landscaping restoration will finish up this month.
- Work on an underground electrical duct bank near the Soldiers Field garage will be completed in early April.
- Sidewalk concrete panel replacement will need to take place on Western Avenue in front of HBS. Pedestrian traffic will shift during this activity later this month.
- Appropriate signage and police details will be in place.
- During project hours from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (at times may extend to 6 p.m.) the work will generate intermittent noise due to the presence of work crews and the use of construction equipment.
92 Seattle Street
Renovation is underway for reuse of this Harvard building.
- Roofing work and demolition of openings activities will occur this month.
- A crane at 38 Travis Street and a lift near the Harvard transportation area will be required to lift roofing materials and equipment.
- Crews continue to work inside the building.
- Work hours will be Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with possible intermittent coordinated Saturday work.
- Interior second shift work from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. has been scheduled the week April 8.
175 North Harvard Street/100 South Campus Drive
Harvard University is constructing a new home for the American Repertory Theater (ART) at 175 North Harvard Street and on the adjacent site at 100 South Campus Drive, a new Harvard University Affiliate Housing building for Harvard graduate students.
- A tower crane is being installed at the housing project site and will be operational the month of April. It is designed to move or “weathervane” in the wind.
- Foundation mud mat and mat slab concrete placements will continue throughout the month.
- Crews are preparing for a large mat slab placement on the week of April 8 (specific day is weather dependent) with the concrete pumps arriving at 6 a.m. and work taking place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with finishing work until 10 p.m.
- South Campus Drive has been converted to a one-way street from Western Avenue to North Harvard Street.
- 100 South Campus Drive project will temporarily close a section of South Campus Drive bordering the McCurdy Track during work hours between Thursday, April 4 and Saturday, April 6 to repair an unforeseen geotechnical issue. Police details and signage will be in place to guide traffic.
- Intermittent piles will be drilled generating noise and vibrations.
- Construction and foundation mass excavation at the ART project began last month and continues.
- At least 20 truckloads of soil will be removed from the site daily.
- Mockup installation is ongoing across the street near Academic Way. Concrete and steel activity will be taking place this month.
- Trucks will adhere to the Harvard truck route and stage at Beacon Park Yard to avoid traffic congestion in and around the site.
- 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 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some Saturday work may be necessary as permitted by the City of Boston also from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
114 Western Avenue
- Solar panel installation has been completed and energized.
210 North Harvard Street
- Tenant fit-out is ongoing.
- Electrical connection work to take place this month in coordination with Eversource.
- The sidewalk in front of the building on North Harvard Street and Bertram Street will be replaced later this month. This activity will require a pedestrian shift.
Shabu Shabu at Brighton Mills Plaza
- Tenant mechanical unit to be lifted to roof in early April, currently scheduled for Monday, April 8 from 6:30 a.m. to noon and is weather dependent.
- The work will require the entrance to the Brighton Mills Plaza near 304 Western Avenue to be closed for a period of time.
- Also curb work in the Brighton Mills Plaza adjacent to Everett Street will take place.
108 Holton Street
Crews will begin in mid-April installing additional fencing and preparing for demolition of the building, which is scheduled from May to July.
- Project work hours will be Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some Saturday work may be necessary as permitted by the City of Boston, also from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Dust, noise and vibration monitors are being positioned around the site.
Replacement Gas Line Installation at Athletics
Punch list and restoration work will be completed this month at this gas line installation within the Athletics Campus.
