Construction Update as of February 21, 2002

UTILITY SHUTDOWNS:

• There are no utility shut-downs planned for this period.

WORK AREAS:

Cornell Library

• We are preparing for the start of construction on the Cornell roof. A mechanical penthouse will be constructed on top of Cornell to house air handling equipment for the Cornell/Biology Addition and the new Commons. The penthouse addition requires that the existing structural system in the library be strengthened in the east half of the second floor.

   

  The books on the east side of the floor are being re-shelved within the library. The shelving on the east side of the floor will be dismantled and stored over the next two weeks. The library staff can assist in locating materials during this time. 

  The second floor of the library will be closed to the public during Spring Break. During that time, the study carrels on the east side of the floor will be moved to the west side, alongside the existing carrels. Then, a temporary full-height wall will be erected to separate the construction area from the rest of the library. The wall will provide weather protection and help control dust and noise during construction. The Library staff will retrieve books as needed from the floor during Spring Break. The second floor will reopen on Monday, March 18th and will remain open for the rest of the academic year. 

  While the library remains in operation on the west side of the temporary wall, construction will proceed on the east side. This work will continue through the rest of the spring semester and the summer. At the end of July, the penthouse will be complete and the temporary full-height wall will be removed. The book shelves will be reinstalled and the carrels will be put back in place to prepare for the new academic year. 

Biology/ Commons Wing

• Excavation and placement of footings in the Commons and Lecture Hall areas will continue throughout this period. Foundation wall forms will be erected and concrete poured at the basement area east of Cornell. The elevator piston casing was set. Mock-ups of concrete and stone finishes will be produced during the next two weeks. Placement of utilities under the basement slab will start

Chiller Plant

• The underground electric ductbank that will service the Chiller Plant will be extended into the building beginning the week of March 4th.

PEDESTRIAN / VEHICULAR ACCESS:

• There will be intermittent closures to the access road in the vicinity of the new Chiller Plant during the week of March 4th so the electric ductbank can cross the road. Emergency vehicle access will be available at all times.
• There will be some construction traffic crossing the sidewalk connecting Dupont to Cornell, along the access road, during the next two weeks. Safety monitors will be posted.
• Parking along Whittier Place is prohibited during the hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• The construction work force is getting larger. Please respect the areas designated as Construction Parking by using the rugby and Dupont parking lots.

NOISE, VIBRATION, DUST, ODORS

• There will be some noise from excavation equipment and concrete trucks throughout this period. The noise is not expected to be disruptive to nearby buildings.
• There will be some noise in Cornell beginning during Spring Break and continuing through the rest of the Spring Semester. We will be monitoring this activity to minimize noisy operations during hours of peak use of the library. 

DELIVERIES / HEAVY EQUIPMENT:

• Expect deliveries of reinforcing steel and concrete throughout this period. Structural steel deliveries are expected to start late during the week of March 4th or early the following week. There will also be movement of dump trucks around the site.

Send message to the chair of the Science Project User's Group, Rachel Merz (rmerz1@swarthmore.edu)

For inquiries regarding construction issues, send message to construction@swarthmore.edu

last updated 2/26/02