UC Progress Update

Dear Adelphi Community,

While we have all been consumed by precautions and adjustments surrounding the COVID-19 public health crisis, work has continued to move steadily forward on our Ruth S. Harley University Center. As of this writing on March 24, 2020, working together with our contractor, Whiting Turner, we have secured approval from New York State to continue work on the renovation as an “essential service.”

In order to protect the health of the workers, however, and to support the global and local effort to stop the spread of the virus, precautionary adjustments have been implemented. Our contractors and subcontractors are scheduling tasks and projects throughout the building in a way that allows social distancing of six feet between people, instead of concentrating efforts on specific aspects of the project. In addition, Whiting Turner is working with the unions involved to establish split shifts over extended hours to reduce the number of people on site at any given time. Hand washing stations have been installed throughout the workspace, supplemented by disinfecting stations. Any necessary group meetings or discussions among project managers are taking place via Skype and conference calls.

Through these efforts, we continue to safely have workers on site six days a week, which is helping to keep the project moving.

When you were last on campus, you probably noticed the east addition, facing Parking Lot 2, and the west addition, facing Levermore Hall, taking shape. The interior of the UC is also progressing beautifully. Steps recently completed or underway include:

Interior

• On the third floor, fire suppression sprinkler heads have been installed, priming of the walls is complete and painting of walls and ceilings is underway.
• Light fixtures and diffusers are being installed on second and third floors.
• On the second floor, workers are installing Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) high performance wall panels, and antimicrobial flooring in the event prep kitchen.
• Also on the second floor, walls have been closed and primed, the first coat of paint has been applied to walls, ceiling grids and soffits.
• In the Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom, framing is almost complete, and lighting and electrical have been installed.
• On the first floor, sheetrocking and taping of new walls is progressing, completed walls have been primed for paint, and painting of walls and ceilings has begun.
• Tile work continues in the first floor restrooms.
• Sprinkler pipes, ceiling grids and ceiling tiles have been installed on the first floor.
• Interior bricks from the original structure have been cleaned.

Starbucks

• The walls and soffits of the full-service Starbucks have been completed.
• Taping, priming and painting of the walls has begun.
• High performance FRP wall panels and lighting are being installed.

Lower Level

As the work on the UC has been progressing from top to bottom, the upper floors are in the late stages of renovation such as painting and installation of lighting, and work on the lower level is in high gear.

• Framing of walls and installation of drywall, terrazzo flooring and bathroom tiles is well underway.
• In what will be the main dining area, the sheetrock is being hung to form the kitchen walls and antimicrobial flooring is being installed.
• Gas piping is being installed.
• Grease duct and hood systems were installed and are pending inspection.
• In the sub-basement level, the chiller is undergoing assembly, the fire suppression sprinkler installation is under way, and the plenum is being reconstructed. The plenum is positive pressure air space within a building that facilitates the circulation of heated and cooled air.

East Addition

From Parking Lot 2, you can see the steel-framed east addition, where the metal framing and sheathing continues.

• The installation of the east-facing curtain wall – a wall of glass that will help fill the building with natural light – is complete and roofing is well under way.
• The student lounge is framed, taped and sheetrocked; ductwork and electric have been installed.

West Addition

With the ground level concrete slab and steel frame in place, another huge step took place when the concrete slab for the first floor was poured in February. Contractors are now:

• Framing out the walls on the ground level and first floor of the west addition and installing electrical lines.
• Installing ductwork in the lower level.
• The installation of the west-facing curtain wall is well over 50% complete and progressing smoothly.

Roof and Infrastructure

• Work is underway on the framing of the Elevator Machine Room for the north elevator.
• Concrete was poured for the floor and frame of the elevator shaft.
• The mechanicals and electric are being installed for the elevator.

Exterior

As you can see in the architect’s rendering, the plan for the new UC includes a beautiful amphitheater-style outdoor space for dining, outdoor classes or lounging.

• Heavy machinery is on site, helping workers to excavate for the amphitheater footings.
• Excavation, installation and backfilling for a large drywell tank that is part of the new drainage system is underway.
• A conduit is being installed to support electric lines for outdoor and landscape lighting.

We are very excited to see the tremendous progress on this major building renovation. You can see photos of this work on the UC Progress website by clicking on the Photos and Live Feed link, where you can view the full photo gallery or watch the real-time webcam.

We cannot know what the future holds in the way of government regulation of activity, but at this point in time, work on the UC is progressing as expected. We are always interested to hear your feedback, so if you have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to email UCProgress@adelphi.edu.

Sincerely,

The UC Progress Team