Construction Update March 2007
Filed under Campus Renovations
Posted by Facilities, March 07, 2007
View all posts for March 2007
We hear that some people on campus have been experiencing odors associated with the excavation for the new underground garage, and thought this provides a good opportunity for an update on construction progress and to let you know what we have been and will be doing to mitigate the odors.
We are quite pleased to report that the SOM project continues to be on schedule. The concrete deck which forms the roof of the garage and the base for the quad has been poured, meaning that the plaza level is complete. Excavation to the next level of the garage has begun. As mentioned in our previous updates, the deeper we dig, the more we anticipate displacing organic material that would produce a “rotten egg” smell. Pre-emptive odor control measures in place include treating the soil with neutralizers and managing the removal of the soil so there is minimal open exposure of the soil above ground. The thick steel and concrete of the plaza level of the garage is also serving as a “cap” to mitigate odors. As some of you have noted, even with these mitigation measures there have been instances where the excavation odors have become noticeable in some buildings on campus, particularly within the Park Science building. As a result, we are implementing additional mitigation measures:
• Adjusting the air handling system for the Park Science Building to redirect the intake of fresh air into the building away from the construction area;
• Adding charcoal filters to the air handling system to provide additional filtering.
Excavation of the organic materials producing these odors will be complete in approximately two months. The odors will be intermittent during that time depending upon where on our site the excavation is being done. We will continue to closely monitor construction and mitigation activities, and perform air quality testing to minimize the effect to the Simmons community.
We appreciate your understanding and patience. Please contact Dominic Bisignano, project director at dominic.bisignano@simmons.edu or at ext. 2063 if you have any additional questions or comments.
