Behind The Fence (June 2023)

As the site contractor completes the bulk of their work, our concrete company has been increasing its presence and has started to pour footings and foundations for the new building. Over the next few weeks, we will start to see increased traffic and significantly more workers on campus now that the site work is substantially complete. With the site work done, that means that a majority of the rock hammering and chipping is also finished. Good news for our colleagues who live in faculty housing! In the photos, you can see how footings have been poured for three sides of the building and you can see the building start to take shape with the prominent curve in the foundation. On the opposite side, we’ve poured 16 feet of foundation wall—with 16 more feet to go on top of that in the weeks ahead! With thanks to Wade Tonken, enjoy this drone video that was taken during our first concrete pour on the site.

 

In addition to the concrete work, last week we buried a 15,000-gallon tank in the ground, which will sit under the front of the building. The tank is designed to collect water run-off from the roofs and store it on-site rather than pump it to the municipal stormwater system. The water will be reused for irrigation and other mechanical needs, a sustainability initiative as part of our efforts to achieve LEED Gold certification for the building. In addition to the cistern tank, another sustainability initiative is the installation of a green roof above the auditorium in the building. Although the roof will not be accessible for use, the plantings will reduce stormwater runoff and roof maintenance, increase biodiversity and, most importantly, improve thermal performance of the building, especially in warm weather by reducing heat infiltration by more than 70%. Although the design and plantings of the green roof are still being finalized, you can see in these images how it might appear when looking at the building from the flagpole near Goodhue.

 

As we head into summer, most of the work over the next eight weeks will be focused on continuing to pour the foundations for the building. We are on track to receive the first delivery of structural steel in late July. So, by the time faculty return in August, the building should be taking shape. We will also be taking advantage of less parent and bus traffic and will be working on the underground utilities that are required. This will involve closing the roadway between Zetkov and the new building during the month of June. So, if you are coming to campus, please be mindful of shifting traffic patterns. The road will be closed during the day when workers are on site but will be reopened in the evening to allow for emergency vehicles and residents to pass.

 

Finally, although not necessarily project related, with thanks to our partners at Consigli Construction Company, we have an update on the wood from the Old Oak. If you missed the article that was published in the Hackley Review Winter 2022-2023 edition, we have been working with Consigli to mill and re-use the wood from the Old Oak. Although large chunks of the tree are still drying, Consigli has started to produce some furniture for Hackley using pieces of the tree, and we recently received three benches. Over the summer, we will apply the finish coats of protective oil, and the benches will be distributed across campus to the three divisions before the opening of school in August.