175 North Harvard Street Project Construction Impacts Update
Week of June 30, 2025
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 is ongoing 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 has started. Window installation is ongoing. Multiple masonry crews will soon be working on all sides of the building,
- Next week, the week of June 30, excluding Saturday, Sunday, and the 4th of July, the contractor will need to close South Campus Drive periodically between 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 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.
- As always, 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 along with wood deliveries. Installation continues on the front section of the building closest to North Harvard Street along with columns, beams, and wall panels. Stairs are being installed in the section of the building closest to McCurdy Track. 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. Mechanical equipment will be on site starting on Monday, June 30, after the first roof section is weather tight. Roofing work on west stage fly tower started last week.
- Steel detailing 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.
- Drones are flying over the site on a bi-weekly basis to capture project progress.
- 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 July 1, and a crane will be in the area along with a steel trailer. Detailing will continue through July 11.
- Work will be taking place at the affiliate housing building on Saturday, June 28, to do some fireproofing, exterior wall sheathing, window sealants, and interior framing, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work, and masonry. This work is dependent on weather. Ther is no work planned on the affiliate housing site on Saturday, July 5.
- A crew at the ART project will be working on mass timber on Saturday, June 28.
- Both job sites are closed on Friday, July 4, for the holiday.
- 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 is expected to be finished in about one week. 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.