Integrated Sciences Complex

The Integrated Sciences Complex, scheduled to open in the fall of 2014, is “nearly 50 percent complete” according to Holly Sutherland, the Manager of Master Plan and Construction Communications at UMass Boston. What remains is mostly work on the inside of the building: utilities (electricity and piping), doors, and walls. In addition, the roofing is almost done.

General Academic Building #1

The General Academic Building #1 (GAB1), which will take over the site of the now closed North Lot, is now in the beginning stages of construction. In order to prepare to install the building’s frame, construction workers had to rip out the entire pavement, and remove lights and electric lines.

In order to prevent flooding, the ground level must be elevated before any part of the building goes up. In order to raise the surface on which GAB1 will be built, some of the dirt from the parking lots next to the Massachusetts Archives, in addition to dirt that will be excavated from the site, will be moved, dumped, and graded.

Students can also expect to hear a lot of noise in the coming months as test piles are driven into bedrock to see if the bedrock will be able to bear the weight of the building. The 10 test piles are scheduled to be driven into the ground starting on Wed., April 3.

Sutherland commented that this phase is “the noisy piece of the construction.” The work will be done from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. until expected completion of the testing in mid-April. After the testing, 260 other required piles will be added. All the pile driving is expected to be finished by the fall 2013 semester.

Campus Center

Finally, starting in early April, glass windows will be added to second and third floor offices overlooking both atriums in the Campus Center. While the windows were not part of the original design, Sutherland commented that the addition was necessary, because “the noise is disruptive to different offices.”