175 North Harvard Street Project Construction
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):
- Brick work on scaffolding is underway in the tarped area on the north side of the site (the Harvard track side). Brickwork is nearly complete on the low-rise and the mid-rise and on the south side of the tower. Some brickwork will be taking place in the courtyard. Two cranes are supporting the brick installation. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades continue working on multiple levels. Miscellaneous deliveries to the hoist will continue through the end of December. The hoist is targeted to be taken down the first week of January, which will require some after-hours work. Elevators will be active once the hoist is removed right after the New Year. Finishing work and interior fit outs are underway on the lower floors and will continue throughout the building. Dry wall work is underway on the upper levels. Dry wall deliveries are slowing down, yet continue to take place on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays. Drywall should be completed by the end of the year. Some finish framing work continues in the building. Window installation is complete, except for hoist area infill work taking place later this winter. Kitchen and bathroom work continues. Some drainage and small utility work continue. Ramp work in the garage will start soon. Lighting has been adjusted to account for the shorter days. Crews are mostly working in the interior of the building. Permanent loading dock access will begin this month. The loading dock main door is operational. Temporary heaters have been set up in key project areas.
- PLEASE NOTE: The new building loading dock off Ivy Lane will be in use starting on Monday, December 22. All project deliveries will be through the new loading dock. Traffic on Ivy Lane will increase especially after the construction hoist stops operations on Friday, January 2.
- The hoist (exterior construction elevator) is scheduled to stop operating and begin to be removed on January 2 through the next week, including Saturday and Sunday. A crane and light tower will be on South Campus Drive to assist with this activity which will require working until the end of the day when it is dark. The following week scaffolding will be installed in the hoist area for infill façade and masonry work.
- Foundation work for a new bike pavilion is underway. Work will continue on the one level pavilion into the winter with different trades working at various times, which will produce some intermittent noise. A mobile crane (boom truck) is used intermittently and is scheduled for Tuesday, January 6, to assist with unloading mass timber materials for the pavilion.
- Perimeter jersey barriers and fences will be relocated in support of the exterior sitework. Security and 24-7 monitored camera coverage will be maintained with appropriate signage.
- PLEASE NOTE: South Campus Drive will be closed to vehicles during regular work hours through May 2026 from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to accommodate crane access and large delivery vehicles. The road will be open to traffic each day after 5:00 p.m. Adjustments have been made to roadway lighting to account for the shorter days.
- Access to Ivy Lane for the general public and the Continuum, Sloane’s, and Trader Joe’s deliveries will remain 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 structural and detail installation is complete. Some roofing is underway. Masons are working on exterior walls. Exterior façade and window work is underway. The majority of the pre-glazed windows were installed at the end of last week. Large curtain wall along North Harvard St facing the lobby will continue through the rest of December into the first week of January.
- Staging to support the brick façade work follows the brick activity around the building and is removed when the bricks are in place. A multi-trade scaffolding system is set up by the chimneys and will continue through December. An all-terrain lift will be used as the main switch gear for the building will be delivered on Monday or Tuesday, December 22 and 23 then loaded into the electric room on the first floor. Chimney work continues. All mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades are working. Drywall work is taking place around the mass timber components. Wood protection trades and mechanical systems installation continue. Concrete slab placement continues followed by steel decking install. Exterior tarp protection at openings and around scaffolding is installed. Framing and insulation to prepare for upcoming wood cladding installation is underway on the North Harvard Street section of the building and will be followed by the two sections along Ivy Lane. Work on overhead balconies and catwalk systems is finishing up. Daily steel, block, and wood deliveries continue. Temporary heaters are in use. At the end of December, there will be an all-terrain lull on site to load in the main distribution boards into the electric room on the first floor. This work is targeting the week of December 22 and will be a two-day operation.
- Drones are flying over the site on a bi-weekly basis to capture project progress.
- Work will be taking place at the affiliate housing building on Saturday, December 20, reorienting gates and fencing, removal of scaffolding and doing electrical work, masonry along with some interior finish trades and general clean up. No road closures will be required. On Saturday, December 27, masonry, interior finishes and general clean up will be underway. On Saturday, January 3, hoist removal, masonry, interior finishes and general clean up will take place. South Campus Drive will be closed on both these Saturdays in support of masonry and hoist removal operations.
- A crew at the ART project will be working on Saturday, December 20, installing roofing, curtainwall and general clean up. No work is currently scheduled on Saturday, December 27 and Saturday, January 3. Generally, Saturday work can be expected through the winter.
- The contractor at the affiliate housing building plans will be doing scaffolding removal and fuel deliveries on Sunday, December 21. On Sunday, January 4, hoist removal will be underway. No work only fuel deliveries will take place on Sunday, December 28.
- There is no work taking place at the building mock-up across North Harvard Street.
- The projects are under camera surveillance, with live monitoring and audible messaging.
- 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.
- No work will take place on the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
- Off-hours water management may be needed for the ART mass timber roofs and structures during and after rain events.
- Off-hours snow and ice removal may be necessary this winter.