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).
- Window installation using boom lifts continues. Exterior wall framing continues. Exterior swing staging and a scaffolding lift system are set up on the buildings to assist with curtainwall installation. Multiple swing stages are on the mid-rise and the tower. More swing staging is coming in at the north tower. Brick work is in full swing and brick deliveries have increased. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades continue work on multiple levels. Interior fit outs and framing continues. Miscellaneous deliveries to the hoist will continue. Elevator installation in the south tower continues. Drywall work is scheduled to begin in June. A crane is arriving in the first week of June to support work on the north tower. Roof work continues on the 10th floor of the mid-rise building. An additional crane will be on site to load the 14th story roof later in June. Tenant fit outs on floors 3-5 are progressing.
- During the week of June 9, excluding Sunday the contractor will need to close South Campus Drive between 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate lift and crane access. South Campus Drive will be open to traffic each day after 5 p.m.
- The contractor may need to utilize one lane of Ivy Lane in front of the project gate to unload materials. Access to Ivy Lane for the general public and the Continuum, Sloane’s, and Trader Joe’s deliveries will be a priority. If necessary, construction delivery vehicles will be diverted until they can unload in a way that does not impede traffic on Ivy Lane.
- When South Campus Drive is closed, all traffic leaving the Continuum and Trader Joe’s parking garage will be instructed to make a right turn only out of the garage. Signage will be provided to divert traffic as needed, and police details will be on site to provide assistance. The signage will be covered after the end of each shift so vehicles can use South Campus Drive.
- A light pole has been removed along the walking path adjacent to McCurdy Track along South Campus Drive to provide truck turn radius access for trailers.
- Wheel washing and street sweeping continue to ensure soil is not being tracked through the neighborhood streets.
- On the new American Repertory Theater (ART) work site, mass timber installation continues for the next several months. Currently two cranes are operating. Daily wood deliveries continue. Mass Timber work continues on an adjacent section of the building closest to South Campus Drive through June 11. Mass Timber installation has started on the front section of the building closest to North Harvard Street. Work Will shift to include the mid-section of the building by mid-July. Additional trades are on site for block work, roof level parapet work, and slab on deck pours. Masonry work is underway. This work is in preparation for roofers to begin work on Monday, June 23. Mechanical trades will begin work at the end of June.
- Steel detailing work continues ahead of waterproofing. 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 continues as mass timber gets installed. Columns, beams, trusses, stairs, wall panels, beams and flooring have been installed in the first sector near the west stage.
- Periodic adjustments will take place on the ART building mock-up to review design and constructability across North Harvard Street.
- Work will be taking place at the affiliate housing building on the next two Saturdays, June 7, and June 14, to do some exterior wall sheathing, window installation, and interior framing, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work. This work is dependent on weather.
- A crew at the ART project will be working on mass timber on Saturday, June 7. No other work is planned this weekend for this project.
- Also at the affiliate housing building, due recent delays brought on by repeated inclement weather, a small roofing crew may need to work on Sunday, June 15, on the 10th floor in the center of the building away from the Continuum. This work will produce minimal noise. There wouldn’t be any road closures or deliveries on Sunday, and the hoist and cranes would not be operational. Crew members would access the site through Gate B, adjacent to the Harvard track. Work hours will be 8 a.m. to no later than 4 p.m. Working on a Sunday is a last resort made necessary due to the series of rainy Saturdays experienced this spring. The project team appreciates the community’s understanding.
- As a component of Harvard’s public benefit commitments with the City of Boston, Harvard University Housing is working with Cambridge Landscaping to replace approximately 60 dead trees throughout Smith Field, adjacent to the new affiliate housing building. Several of those trees abut South Campus Drive adjacent to the Continuum. The work began on Tuesday, May 27, and will take several weeks to complete. The project scope also includes installation of a new accessible ramp between South Campus Drive and the park, which is in the approvals process.
- 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.
- Off-hours water management may be needed for the ART mass timber roofs and structures during and after rain events.