April 9, 2009 Meeting Minutes

Construction Junction

Construction Planning and Progress Meeting

B104 Wells Hall

April 9, 2009

Overview:
Construction Junctions are the Physical Plant’s monthly public meeting designed to update/inform the public of various projects currently in design, nearing construction and under construction. Agenda items included:

• Karen Zelt

  • Board of Trustees Action

• Jeff Kasdorf

  • Emmons Hall Renovation

• Mark Haslam

  • Life Science Addition No. 1

• Andy Linebaugh

  • The New Farm Lane — Underpasses Construction

  • Wilson/Birch Roads — Steam Distribution and Road Reconstruction

• Kevin Durkin

  • Wharton Center — Addition No. 1 and Renovations

• Chris Burns
  
  • Surplus and Recycling Center
  • Secchia Center — MSU College of Human Medicine Grand Rapids

 Project Notes/Questions

Emmons Hall Renovation

• Located in southeast corner of Brody Complex
• $15 million budget
• Building is more than 50 years old
• Project highlights:
  • Replacing roof
  • Replacing freight elevator with passenger elevator
  • Converting to hot water heating system
  • Installing new storm water piping
  • Ventilating public places
  • Adding smoke detector and sprinkler system
  • Most dramatic changes in public lounges include more natural light, a glass curtain wall, double-height lounge on the first floor, community kitchen, laundry, social areas, study areas
  • Improving residence hall apartments for staff
  • Adding caucus room on the fourth floor
  • Heated walks, automated doors, internal ramping system, barrier-free parking
  • Corridors are getting new finishes — adding natural light, painting and new finishes and circuits in rooms
• Be(ing) Spartan Green:
  • Natural light in corridors, public lounges
  • Renovating bathrooms — new plumbing and new fixtures

 Life Science Addition No. 1

• College of Nursing — northern wing of Life Science building
• Four-story addition to nursing — add classrooms and gathering space hopefully with Sparty’s convenience store
• Goal is to double the enrollment of the College of Nursing
• Adding undergraduate teaching space which will also be used for community outreach
• Upper levels include flexible floorplate (offices and grad research areas will all have totally flexible walls and furniture)
• Will create dramatic presence for the College of Nursing
• Tranquility garden — research shows there are many benefits of this amenity
• Concept to put classroom and public spaces on first floor
• Third and fourth floors will include offices, research modules. The center offices will be essentially transparent with surrounding workstations using daytime lighting
• Be(ing) Spartan Green
  • Going for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certification

The New Farm Lane — Underpasses Construction 

• Work continues — favorable weather helping progress
• Started on electrical and communication ducts and manholes
• Bolt replacement work required on the CN (northernmost) bridge — currently hanging conduit supports
• Working on internals for north pump station
• Actual pump house for the north station is blocked out
• Continue to pour retaining walls
• Finished up minor work on CSX (southernmost) bridge
• Asphalt plant opened early — allowing asphalt deck to be laid on north bridge
• In two to three weeks train traffic will be permanently switched to north bridge — then will finish south side
• Installing new well main section under Service Road

Wilson/Birch Roads — Steam Distribution and Road Reconstruction

• Sheet piling — dig excavation through for sheet piling
• Digging vault 337
• Traffic shifted April 1: Closed Wilson Road from westernmost Cherry Lane entrance to Harrison Road
• Wilson/Birch detours will be lifted during move-out period, May 1-10
• After move out, the remaining portion of Wilson Road will be closed throughout most of the summer

 Wharton Center — Addition No. 1 and Renovations

• Approximately 70 percent complete
• Glazing on the front is almost finished and the cut out is in place for signage
• Donor lounge areas close to having finishes done
• Ticketing area — planning on moving in mid-June
• Fourth-floor mechanical room — all equipment is in
• Be(ing) Spartan Green:
• Although this is not a LEED project, we are using a lot of LEED guidelines (50 percent of waste off the site is recycled, using recycled material in countertops, low-flow fixtures in restrooms, borrowed light in office spaces and outside views, bamboo (a rapidly renewable material) floor in patron lounge, etc.)

MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Facility

• On schedule even with snow slowing down progress a bit
• In process on finishing it out
• Building to be open by end of June; will be fully functional for fall 2009
• Most of exterior skin has been erected — finishing in the next 30 days 

Secchia Center — MSU College of Human Medicine Grand Rapids

• Finishing closing up the building
• About 50 percent of the cladding on the building
• Started the windows — will take about two months to finish windows
• The building should be enclosed by mid-summer