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
Curtainwall continues at the residential buildings and is finishing at the hotel. Boom lifts are operating on all sides of the buildings. The infill work where the mid-rise hoist (exterior construction elevator) was continues. A crane is in place removing the hotel hoist. Later this month the hoist on the high rise will begin the removal and infill process. Mast climber scaffolding and swing staging are operational on the high-rise building. Windows are being installed. Utility tie-in and MEP work inside the site continues. Eversource in finishing the electrical tie-in. Elevator installation continues. Framing and bathrooms are being installed. Other interior fit-out work is underway. Second shift work is taking place on the mid-rise curtainwall. First floor storefront work is underway. Smaller concrete placements continue.
Laboratory and Office Buildings
Minor curtainwall work continues. Boom lifts operate around the perimeter. Ground floor work is underway. MEP work continues. Roofing activities are underway. A crane will be onsite this month to load equipment and materials to the roof. Elevators are being installed. Framing and bathroom work is underway. Mechanical penthouse activities continue. Pre-clearing on the east side of the building will take place as preparation for landscaping.
Greenway
Trees are being delivered and planted, working west to east. Crews are prepping for hardscape and water features.
Treehouse Conference Center
Façade glass and wood panel installation continues using boom lifts. A crane will frequently be operating on site. Framing is underway. Roofing and terrace activities continue. MEP work is ongoing.
Milestone Thermals
Another phase of work to tie-in to the Treehouse continues early this month with testing involving the District Energy Facility.
Building Mock-Ups
The five Laboratory, Residential/Hotel, and Conference Center mockups are in place near Rotterdam Street at the Hague Street lot.
Eversource Conduit Project
Eversource duct bank installation is complete with cabling to take place on Western Avenue. This public utility work is not under the supervision of ERC.
General Information
- Project work hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday and interior Sunday and possible other after-hours work is targeted to take place this month starting at 7 a.m.
- Evacuation drills will be conducted at the end of safety week (May 5-9) with a muster point off Hague Street and at Western Avenue near the Treehouse.
- Drones will be in use every Thursdays at 3 p.m. 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.
- 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.
- Construction noise will continue to be perceptible during work hours.
- Dust control measures remain in place.
- Construction hoists (exterior elevators) at the high-rise apartment building and the laboratory buildings is operational.
North Allston Storm Drain Extension Project (NASDEP)
NASDEP is a project for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) that is designed in collaboration with Harvard University to alleviate the existing inundated 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 into 2025. 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.
- South of the Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) work between Rena Path and Rotterdam Street continues throughout the next several months.
- Science Drive is narrowed with a new lane, line striping.
- Excavation for structure and culvert installation will continue.
- Construction noise continues to be intermittent with a generator and a staffed, motorized dewatering equipment operating 24 hours.
- Project work hours will be Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
92 Seattle Street
The building is occupied. Exterior punch list work includes reinstalling some roofing and a wall at the eastern ramp.
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.
- Occasional mobile cranes are on site.
- South Campus Drive, the one-way street from Western Avenue to North Harvard Street, will be closed frequently this month with traffic directed to Ivy Lane.
- MEP work is underway at both buildings.
- Smaller concrete placements continue.
- Two cranes are set up on the ART to support the installation of mass timber for the next several months. Daily wood deliveries are underway. A police detail is assigned to North Harvard Street/South Campus Drive to help facilitate mass timber trailer deliveries. Wood protection trades and mechanical systems installation are underway as mass timber gets installed. Columns, beams, trusses, stairs, walls, roofs and flooring are also being installed. The first sector of the building is nearing completion. Sector 2 closest to South Campus Drive will begin.
- The brick façade is being worked on the residence building with prep work underway. Mast-climber scaffolding, swing staging and boom lifts are being used.
- The hoist (exterior elevator) on the residential building is operational.
- Minor mock-up adjustments are 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 complete at the 201 Western Avenue lot, where construction workers park and field offices are set up and in use.
- Project work hours will be Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday work will continue as permitted by the city of Boston, also from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
210 North Harvard Street
- A pole and temporary cable will be removed by Eversource/Verizon. Sofra Bakery and Café is open.
168 Western Avenue
- Storefront work will begin. Work will continue inside the building and miscellaneous roof activity. Swiss Bakers has temporarily relocated their bakery portion of their store to 9 Travis Street. Swiss Bakers will be operational in that building through the end of May while the kitchen area is renovated. National Grid will return to replace the asphalt with concrete on the Western Ave sidewalk
1340 Soldiers Field Road
- Renovation work is underway inside this building through May.
100 Holton Street
- Roof replacement work will take place this spring/summer.