175 North Harvard Street, 100 South Campus Drive
The following is an overview of the work taking place at the 175 North Harvard construction site at the future location of the new Harvard University affiliate housing building and American Repertory Theatre (ART):
- The structural steel phase of the housing project is ongoing with work finishing on upper levels. Steel should be completed later in December with a topping off tentatively scheduled for December 18. Decking and detailing will continue through December. Concrete deck placements will continue. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades are working throughout the site. A subcontractor continues working on small utilities, including storm, duct bank, and data and is backfilling around the foundation. Exterior waterproofing continues and crews are fireproofing on several levels. This work will continue progressing up the building. The dewatering tank will be removed at the end of December. Site dewatering will be complete in mid-December. All tanks and monitoring equipment will be removed from the site.
- The temporary construction hoist (exterior elevator) tower installation is underway closer to South Campus Drive and is expected to be operational by the second week of December. Steel stairways are being placed.
- Once the building’s exterior is fully enclosed with tarping to retain temporary heat, heat will be on 24/7. There is a small amount of noise associated with the temporary heat that falls within normal limits and may be heard off-hours.
- Neighbors will continue to see road closures on South Campus Drive in support of concrete operations to allow for concrete pump placement and site access. All pours are anticipated to take place on weekdays during normal working hours with the road being returned at the end of each day. Signage and details will be provided to divert traffic as needed.
- Concrete deck placements can be expected each week from level 8 to the roof level during regular work hours into December – some finishing work may extend beyond 6 p.m. depending on weather conditions. A pump truck will be present on South Campus Drive during concrete pours.
- Within the next six to eight weeks, work will begin taking place at the roof level. Personnel will be observed on upper floors and exterior staging will continue, but both should be less noticeable in the coming months with the exterior building wrap in place. The tower crane will be disassembled and removed from the site in mid-January. Because this is a sizeable undertaking, the crane removal will require some after-hours work. More detail will be provided as the date gets closer.
- The tower crane will be in use for the next month during normal working hours and is placed in weathervane mode with safety lighting turned inward at the end of every shift.
- Wheel washing and street sweeping continues to ensure soil is not being tracked through the neighborhood streets.
- On the new American Repertory Theater (ART) work site, interior and exterior concrete wall and pier placements continue. Interior slab and exterior wall waterproofing is ongoing. Utility installation around the perimeter of the building continues.
- Structural steel will be arriving on the ART site on Monday, December 9, and installation will run through January. A crane will be set up on site that morning to support this work. Multiple concrete placements to enable structural steel installation will take place each week for the next few weeks. There is potential for early work starts and late finishes during some of these placements. Installation will run through mid-December and detailing through January.
- Mass timber (engineered wood products known for their strength, durability, versatility and sustainability) will follow in late February.
- Work continues on the building mock-ups to review design and constructability across North Harvard Street. At the ART mockup, activities will take place intermittently. Adjustments continue intermittently on the housing mockup to include framing, sheathing, and masonry.
- Crews at the affiliate housing building site will be working on Saturday, December 7 and 14 to continue installing structural steel. A crane will be on site on Saturday to install precast stairs. Crews at the ART project will also be working on Saturday, December 7, to remove existing wet soil and replace it with stone from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- The project’s regular work hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Saturdays as permitted by the City of Boston from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.