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 deck placement and rebar operations will be ongoing through the month on the residential buildings. Hotel structural steel deliveries and installation continue. Utility tie in work inside the site at Trotting Avenue continues.
Laboratory and Office Buildings
Steel operations continue this month. The east and west building steel continues to be raised. Concrete deck placements will be ongoing.
Greenway
This section of the site is currently being used for laydown space until crews mobilize in the coming months.
Treehouse Conference Center
Masonry and concrete operations continue on the cores. Utility work inside the site continues. Crews have been prepping for mass timber deliveries and installation to take place later this month. Eversource is finishing up connecting temporary power to eliminate most generators on site. This activity may require work to take place in the bike lane on Western Avenue in front of the site.
Building Mock-Ups
Adjustments and punch-list work on the Laboratory, Residential/Hotel, and Conference Center mockups will continue this month. The 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.
- Four 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 every other week to monitor construction progress.
- 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.
- A flight will take place on Thursday, May 2.
- Occasional off-hour equipment drop offs/pickups may be necessary with no unloading until 7 a.m.
- 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/Seattle 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 the structures inside the site off Trotting Avenue and east to west towards Rotterdam Street.
- Upcoming work scheduled to start this month 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 continue using the designated route from Hague Street. Some trucks will haul soil offroad using the Beacon Rail Yard.
- Noise continues to be intermittent.
- Dust control measures including the use of a water truck 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 and punch list will be completed early this month.
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 intermittently to lift roofing materials and equipment.
- Crews continue to progress with interior work.
- Work hours will be Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with possible intermittent coordinated Saturday work.
- Roof, electrical, and masonry work is scheduled for Saturday, May 4.
175 North Harvard Street/100 South Campus Drive/201 Western Avenue
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 has been installed at the housing project site and is designed to move or “weathervane” in the wind.
- Foundation mat slab concrete placements will continue throughout the month.
- Crews are preparing for two large mat slab placements on May 16 and for an alternate date at the end of May (weather dependent) with the concrete pumps arriving at between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. and finishing work until 10 p.m.
- South Campus Drive has been converted to a one-way street from Western Avenue to North Harvard Street.
- An overnight tie-in will take place on Ivy Lane, Wednesday, May 8, to coordinate with a water shutdown at the Continuum residence. Lighting and equipment will be operational.
- Construction and foundation mass excavation at the ART project continues.
- Concrete work has begun.
- Mockup installation is ongoing across the street near Academic Way.
- 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.
- Lot expansion is underway at the 201 Western Avenue lot, where construction workers park and field offices are set up and in use.
- Tenant fit-out is ongoing including the installation of an outdoor freezer in the loading dock area off Bertram Street.
- Electrical connection work is expected to take place this month in coordination with Eversource.
- The sidewalk in front of the building on North Harvard Street and Bertram Street is being replaced. This activity will require a shift in the pedestrian pathway.
Curb work at Brighton Mills Plaza
- Curb work adjacent to Everett Street continues.
108 Holton Street
Crews have begun roof abatement and utility work and will demolish the building with work continuing into 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 positioned around the site.
55 Antwerp Street
Utility work on the sidewalk will take place along Artists Asylum on May 6 – May 31. A coned off work zone in the street and sidewalk will accommodate this work. Two-way traffic will be maintained. Pedestrians will shift to the opposite sidewalk.
