Construction 2012

Over the holiday break, big progress was made in the demolition of the YMCA structure facing on St. Botolph St. This will be the site of the new Northeastern University/GrandMarc dormitory. In the photo you can see that the entire back building has been removed, debris cleaned up, and excavation beginning. NEC is the facade on the far right side. Note how you can see all the way through from St. Botolph St. to Huntington Ave.

December 14, Update

The Northeastern GrandMarc project has gotten underway and the YMCA gym is in the process of being demolished to make way for the new 17-story dormitory. (See photo below). Once the exterior walls have been taken down, the construction crew will begin “saw cutting and hoe ramming the foundation,” according to NEC’s Director of Facilities and Operations Mike Ryan. This process will add to noise and dust being produced at the demolition site. Fortunately, much of this work will be taking place while NEC is on holiday break.

The good news is that all of NEC’s monitors are in place and are sending out regular round-the-clock alerts that report on the level of noise, vibration and air quality.  So far, the demolition work has stayed within the threshold limits established by our expert consultants. Interestingly, the monitors set off a noise “alarm” at 2 am  one night recently–triggered by the siren from a fire engine that was passing by. The consultants who analyze every alert were able to determine that the noise was a fire engine and that no action was required. (see monitor suspended from NEC roof in bottom photo.)

On another, related matter, Mike Ryan reports that during the upcoming break, NEC crews will complete the painting and will install new carpeting in the back section of Brown Hall, so studios, practice rooms, and class rooms in that area will all be refreshed when students and faculty return from vacation.

One ongoing reminder: Please do not attempt to disassemble the soundproofing treatment of windows in the back of Brown Hall.  That has been installed to keep down the noise levels from construction so practice and teaching can go on without disruption.

November 15 Update

Thanksgiving Holiday Operating Hours:
November 21, 2012 All Buildings Closed 10:00 pm
November 22, 2012 All Buildings Closed
November 23rd and 24th St. Botolph Building Closed
November 23rd and 24th Jordan Hall Open 8:00 am-10:00 pm
November 25th St. Botolph Building Open 8:00 am-10:00 pm
November 25th Jordan Hall Open 8:00 am-1:00 am
All performance halls in Jordan Hall will be open to accommodate any and all performances.

November 9 Update

A controlled power outage is planned for Jordan Hall beginning at 11:00pm on Wednesday, November 14^th, continuing through 7:00am on Thursday, November 15^th.  The purpose of the power outage is to tie in services for the new emergency generator for Jordan Hall.  All areas of the building will be off-limits to staff, faculty and students during this time.

All practice rooms, all studios, and all performance spaces will be closed at 11:00pm on November 14^th, and will not be available until 7:00am on November 15^th.

Please power off your computer and other office equipment before leaving for the day on November 14th.  This will ensure a smoother start up once electrical service has been reestablished for the building.

Thank you for your cooperation.

It’s coming!  That confluence of construction projects we’ve been warning you about is about to begin.  Between now and mid-month, the GrandMarc at Northeastern University dormitory project will get underway. For the past several weeks, the developer of that project has been doing interior demolition of the YMCA building (see photo below) that fronts onto St. Botolph St. That work will ramp up with the building scheduled for controlled implosion followed by foundation excavation and pile driving to support the structure. What’s more, the YMCA’s own construction project is set to begin November 9.

As challenging as these projects may be, NEC is in good shape thanks to the $4 million mitigation work we’ve been engaged in since July.  NEC’s team from Tishman Construction is finishing up the installation of interior and exterior window coverings that will protect against noise and dust.(see photos below) The new fresh air exchange and HVAC systems are in place and will shortly go on line to supply those practice rooms, studios, classrooms, and performance spaces most directly affected by the construction. Most importantly, the monitors that register acoustic, seismic, and air quality levels are in place and will go live on November 5. They will provide continuous readings and any activity that approaches or exceeds pre-established thresholds will be instantly reported to Building Operations and Tishman Construction.

What can you do?

This process is not going to be pretty. However, NEC is doing everything it can to minimize disruption and annoyance. All NEC community members should stay informed by checking the following media:

• Regular updates on this page.
• Our dedicated Twitter channel, for regular news and alerts. Click on https://twitter.com/necmusic_today
• Check the NEC Facebook page. www.facebook.com/necmusic
• Watch the on-screen signage in the Jordan Hall and St. Botolph Building lobbies.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact Michael Ryan’s office at AskMike@necmusic.edu