175 North Harvard Street Project Construction Impacts Update
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):
• Exterior swing staging and a scaffolding lift system are set up on the buildings to assist with curtainwall installation. Multiple swing stages are in place around the job site. Brick work is ongoing on the courtyard and west side of the building and brick deliveries have increased. An additional crane will arrive in July on the west side of the building to support brick installation. 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 has started in the north tower. Drywall work continues. A crane is on site supporting work on the north tower. There is one month of work left for window sheathing and then swing staging will be back to install the roof on the 14th story. Small utilities will start soon. Off-hour sheet rock deliveries will start at 3 p.m. and will go to 6 p.m. three times per week. Telecom duct bank installation will begin early this week. Window installation is ongoing.
• During the week of June 23, excluding Saturday and Sunday, the contractor will need to close South Campus Drive periodically between 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to accommodate crane access and a transformer delivery. South Campus Drive will be open to traffic each day after 5:00 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. One crane has been removed from the site. Daily wood deliveries continue. Mass Timber work continues, and installation has started on the front section of the building closest to North Harvard Street along with columns, beams, and wall panels. Mass timber is wrapping up Stairs are being installed in the section of the building closest to McCurdy Track and a concrete roof slab will be poured this week with a pump truck within the site fence. Work will shift to include the mid-section of the building by mid-July. Masonry work is underway. Additional trades are on site for block work, roof level parapet work, and slab on deck pours. This work is in preparation for roofers to begin work at the end of the month. Mechanical systems layout is underway and trades will begin work at the end of June.
• Steel detailing work continues. 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 two sections of the new building.
• Periodic work will take place on the ART building mock-up to review design and constructability across North Harvard Street. Steel will be on site June 30, and a crane will be in the area along with a steel trailer.
• Work will be taking place at the affiliate housing building on the next two Saturdays, June 21 and June 28, to do some exterior wall sheathing, window sealants, and interior framing, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work, and masonry. This work is dependent on weather.
• A crew at the ART project will be working on mass timber on Saturday, June 21.
• 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, 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays as permitted by the City of Boston from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Off-hours water management may be needed for the ART mass timber roofs and structures during and after rain events.