Signs posted on M-Level of the MSE Library warn of loud noises. There is yellow tape at the center of Maryland Hall, and the front entrance to Shriver Hall is completely fenced off as workers continue the renovation project. Sometimes, while walking to class, students get a face-full of dust as a result of digging and moving equipment.
Though the completion of the renovations to Gilman Hall marked the end to one of the larger undertakings in recent endeavors to improve campus, several others have been started and will persist.
University Architect Jim Miller wrote in an email that aside from the larger, noisier projects, there are several smaller ones being conducted.
“Our office currently is managing over 50 active design and construction projects on the Homewood campus,” he wrote. “ A few of the larger ones include the Brody Learning Commons, WSE’s Institute for Nano-Biotechnology, Shaffer Hall Lobby, Campus Restroom Upgrades, Bloomberg Hall Server Room Cluster, Health and Counseling Center and the Shriver Hall Main Entrance.”
For the most part, projects are delivered on schedule, Miller wrote. The Shriver steps project, for example, began after Commencement 2010 and is scheduled to conclude in October. The contractor is ahead of schedule.
While most projects are on time, hiccups along the way do happen, often as a result of the age of the buildings. A great deal of planning goes into allotting a long enough time for the project to be completed.
“Design and construction projects, especially on occupied university campuses in occupied buildings that are often old and poorly documented are very complex,” Miller wrote. “We spend time working with our university clients and our architects and builders to plan the work process.”
A lot of what goes into planning is a result of experience with past projects.
“We rely on the experience and expertise of the entire team to formulate schedules that typically do include some float time to accommodate surprises,” Miller wrote. “However, given that every project is unique in terms of its design, site, purpose, etc. there are often issues that arise that can delay completion.
Miller provides the example of the construction of Charles Commons to illustrate the planning process and keeping a project on track despite difficulties.
“For instance, when we built Charles Commons, in spite of having done exploratory site investigations, we encountered a lot of rock, at higher elevations than anticipated resulting in the excavation work taking longer than planned,” he wrote. “Fortunately, our concrete contractor was able to accelerate their work to make up most of the lost time.”
The Brody Learning Commons, for example, proves a precarious project because of it’s location on a sloping site, as well as being so close to the MSE Library. Miller wrote that despite all the research one could do, there are still some unforeseen difficulties that could pop up.
“No one has ever added an addition to the MSEL on a sloping site that is laced with campus utilities and surrounded by pedestrian walkways and loading docks,” Miller wrote. “So you do as much research as you can to mitigate risk then deal with unknown issues as they arise during construction.”
Despite the margin for error, Miller wrote that the Learning Commons project is slated to be finished in the summer of 2012. The official opening will be in the fall of 2012, for use in the 2012-2013 school year. But until it is finished, the construction has proved a hassle to navigate for some.
During the construction of the Learning Commons, a popular short-cut to Lower Quad through Maryland Hall is unavailable. Senior Maria Granato often took the short cut and finds that the most cumbersome issue with the construction.
“I haven’t run into any noise,” Granato said. “The only thing that has gotten in my way is cutting thorough Maryland (to get to Lower Quad), I used to cut through that a lot. Other than that, the construction is not really blocking anything for me.”
Senior Gustavo Barcena, like Granato, has had his usual path obstructed.
“The construction affects me pretty much everyday when I walk around Maryland instead of through the path I used to go through,” he said. “But, I’ve not heard any of the noise.”
Weather can also play a factor in the duration of the project. Baltimore’s mild winters, however, do not affect projects much.
“We do build in contingencies and procedures for weather,” wrote Miller. “One example was during the construction of the Cogeneration facility last winter we enclosed the scaffolding around the building in plastic, provided temporary heat to keep the space above freezing and incorporated cold-weather construction techniques to allow us to continue laying the masonry walls.”
The one exception to the weather component, however, was the blizzard last February.
