Brandeis University
Office of the Executive Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer
MEMORANDUM
| TO: | Members of the Brandeis Community |
|---|---|
| FROM: | Peter French, Executive VP/COO |
| DATE: | May 10, 2004 |
| RE: | Update on Major Building Projects and Infrastructure Renewal Project |
As many members of the Brandeis community prepare to depart for the summer, I would like to provide an update on a number of building projects now underway on the Brandeis campus and information about the various components that together constitute the Infrastructure Renewal Project. This memo begins with a brief summary of the status of each of these projects. Following that, more detail is provided for those with a particular interest in one or more of the projects. As in the past, this and previous memos are available at the Documents link on the website of the Office of the EVP/COO, at www.brandeis.edu/evpcoo.
SUMMARY
Selected Building Projects
As I reported in my January 20 memo, the University is moving forward with three major gift-funded capital projects approved by the Board of Trustees: the Schneider building, to be added to the Heller School; renovation of, and addition to, the Abraham Shapiro Academic Building (the former American Jewish Historical Society Building); and the first phase of renovation of Usdan Student Center. This summer, the University will also begin the first phase of work on a major infrastructure renewal project, which I also discussed in the January 20 memo. The infrastructure renewal project is being funded by Trustee-approved University debt. In addition, this summer a fitness center will be created on the first level of The Village. This fitness center will be open to the entire Brandeis community.
The Schneider Building at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management
A generous $15M gift from Irving Schneider is fully funding design and construction of the new building, to be named the Schneider Building, for the Heller School. The Schneider Building, now being designed, is expected to add close to 30,000 square feet to the Heller School. Construction is currently expected to begin in fall 2004, and building occupancy is expected in fall 2005.
More detail
Renovation and Addition to the Abraham Shapiro Academic Building
Renovation and addition to the Abraham Shapiro Academic Building continues, funded by major gifts/pledges from the Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund and Mort Mandel. The building will add 17,500 square feet of high-quality academic space at the University, and will house the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life, the Center for Middle East Studies, faculty offices, the Mandel Center for Jewish Education, and the Education Program. Building occupancy is expected in fall 2004.
More detail
Usdan One-Stop Student Services Center
The first phase in the renovation of Usdan Student Center involves the creation of a portion of the planned one-stop student services center, which has been identified by Jean Eddy, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment, as the highest priority for Usdan. The one-stop center will provide students with convenient, single-point access to a full range of student administrative services. Phase 1 includes new homes for Student Financial Services and the Office of Residence Life and a new location for International Lounge. This first phase of work should be completed before the start of the spring 2005 semester.
More detail
Infrastructure Renewal Project
As you know, with the creation of the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Campus Center, many functions and offices formerly located in Usdan Student Center moved to the Shapiro Campus Center. To support the broad range of student activities at Brandeis, the University's intention has been to maintain Usdan Student Center as a focal point of student activities on campus. Accordingly, in early 2003 the University engaged the architectural firm of Miller Dyer Spears (MDS) to conduct a comprehensive space planning study for the reuse, renovation, and upgrade of Usdan Student Center and Kutz Hall.
The University convened an advisory committee of students, faculty, and staff to provide input, guidance, and feedback to MDS. MDS held many meetings with representatives of all affected University constituents, and also studied building systems and code requirements. They developed a space allocation proposal with cost estimates for renovating the two buildings.
Jean Eddy, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment, has identified as the highest priority for Usdan the creation of a one-stop student services center, providing students with convenient, single-point access to a full range of student administrative services. MDS has developed an implementation plan for creating the first portion of a one-stop student services center. The total project cost estimate for this initial step is $2M, which is being fully funded by a gift to the University. Construction is expected to begin in early summer and continue through the fall semester.
Infrastructure Renewal Project
The $25M infrastructure renewal project is intended to address the many components of the University's infrastructure that are well past their normal useful life. Failures of the infrastructure have had an enormously disruptive impact on day-to-day activities at the University. The infrastructure renewal project is being funded by Trustee-approved University debt. The annual cost of this debt is expected to be fully funded by the savings resulting from no longer needing to carry out emergency repairs to the extent required in recent years.
The components of the infrastructure renewal project include:
- Residence Halls Fire Safety
- Electric Network
- Steam Network
- Water System
- Roofs
- Roadways and Pedestrian Safety
- Classrooms
During summer 2004:
- Fire safety systems in eleven residence halls will be upgraded;
- Several electrical transformers and switchgear will be replaced;
- Segments of the steam network will be replaced or repaired;
- Portions of the main water loop will be cleaned and relined, to ensure adequate pressure to support new fire protection systems in the residence halls;
- Twelve roofs will be replaced and others will be repaired;
- Six classrooms will be upgraded to conform with newly developed Brandeis classroom standards. Feedback from this initial pilot project will guide Dean Adam Jaffe's decisions about the next, more extensive phase of classroom improvements.
- Water System
Work on the Infrastructure Renewal Project is expected to take place over the course of the next two to two-and-a-half years. While efforts will be made to carry out the most disruptive work during the summer months and during the break between semesters, there will undoubtedly be considerable disruption throughout the year in many locations on campus. Throughout the course of the project, we will let everyone know of any upcoming changes that will affect the Brandeis community.
More detail
The Village Fitness Center
This summer, a fitness center will be created on the first floor of the The Village. The fitness center will be accessed from the north door at the main pedestrian entrance to the campus, and will be open to the entire Brandeis community using Campus Card access control. The fitness center will provide treadmills, cross trainers, and upright and recumbent bikes, as well as a stretching area, storage, and ceiling mounted televisions.
This concludes the summary portion of this memorandum. For more detailed information about the three major building projects and the various components of the infrastructure renewal project, please continue reading the remainder of this memo.
MORE DETAIL
The Schneider Building at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management
A generous $15M gift from Irving Schneider is fully funding design and construction of the new building, to be named the Schneider Building, for the Heller School. The Schneider Building is expected to add close to 30,000 square feet to the Heller School. Kyu Sung Woo, the project architect, is close to completing schematic design, and will soon be commencing design development, during which many details of the project come into focus. The architect and the project team have been consulting extensively with various groups within the Heller School - project working group and a number of working sub-groups, including those focusing on sustainability, accessibility, and technology. A. J. Martini, a construction firm with a special interest in sustainable design, is providing pre-construction services, and Marc Rosenbaum, a sustainability consultant focusing on integrated systems design, is participating in the design process. Construction is currently expected to begin in fall 2004, and building occupancy is expected in fall 2005.
Renovation and Addition to the Abraham Shapiro Academic Building
Renovation and addition to the Abraham Shapiro Academic Building continues, funded by major gifts/pledges from the Abraham Shapiro Charity Fund and Mort Mandel. The building will add 17,500 square feet of high-quality academic space at the University, and will house the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life, the Center for Middle East Studies, faculty offices, the Mandel Center for Jewish Education, and the Education Program. The building will also provide a fully multimedia-equipped distance-learning classroom, two seminar rooms, conference room and meeting space, and a graduate-student study area. With the planned 2,250 square foot addition, the entire building will, for the first time, be fully handicapped-accessible.
The architect for the project is Miller Dyer Spears; the construction contractor is Slotnick/ZVI. Total project cost is expected to be approximately $5.1M. Building occupancy is expected in fall 2004.
Usdan One-Stop Student Services Center
Once the Abraham Shapiro Academic Building is complete and the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life moves to its new home in that building, work will commence on the first phase of the renovation of Usdan Student Center. This first phase involves the creation of a portion of the planned one-stop student services center, which has been identified by Jean Eddy, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment, as the highest priority for Usdan Student Center. The one-stop center will provide students with convenient, single-point access to a full range of student administrative services. Phase 1 includes new homes for Student Financial Services and the Office of Residence Life and a new location for International Lounge. The architect for this project is Miller Dyer Spears, and Elaine Construction is providing construction management. From the start of construction, the work is expected to last approximately five months. Assuming a start in late July, the first phase of work should be completed before the start of the spring 2005 semester.
Infrastructure Renewal Project
At the October 2003 Board meeting, the Trustees approved a $25M infrastructure renewal project. To most members of the Brandeis community, the University's infrastructure, consisting of the steam network, the electric network, roofs, and other elements, is less visible than other elements of the campus (e.g., buildings and landscape), and is taken for granted. But failures of the infrastructure have an enormously disruptive impact on day-to-day activities at the University. This project is intended to address the fact that many components of the University's infrastructure are well past their normal useful life.
The infrastructure renewal project is being funded by Trustee-approved University debt. The annual cost of this debt is expected to be fully funded by the savings resulting from no longer needing to carry out emergency repairs to the extent required in recent years.
The components of the infrastructure renewal project include:
- Residence Halls Fire Safety
- Electric Network
- Steam Network
- Water System
- Roofs
- Roadways and Pedestrian Safety
- Classrooms
Work on the Infrastructure Renewal Project is expected to take place over the course of the next two to two-and-a-half years. While efforts will be made to carry out the most disruptive work during the summer months and during the break between semesters, there will undoubtedly be considerable disruption throughout the year in many locations on campus. We will do our best to minimize disruption. In line with our goal of keeping the community informed about upcoming work on the Infrastructure Renewal Project, for each component a summary of the status and summer 2004 work plan follows.
Within the overall project, Residence Halls Fire Safety is the highest priority. This component involves updating fire alarm systems and adding sprinkler systems within the University's residence halls. Existing fire systems meet all legal requirements, which are based on prevailing building and fire safety codes at the time each building was built. The University's intention here is to surpass those legal requirements and bring residence halls fire safety up to the most current standards.
Eleven residence halls have been identified for upgrades during summer 2004. These include: East Quad; Shapiro A and B and Deroy in Massell Quad; Rosenthal Quad; Ziv 130; and Charles River 164 and 178. This will bring to over 50% the portion of the University's housing stock meeting current fire protection system standards. Hughes Associates, the firm that successfully planned and designed the fire protection system upgrades carried out in three of the Ziv residence halls in summer 2003, is continuing as the lead designer for the residence halls fire safety component of the Infrastructure Renewal Project.
The University's main electric service is at or near capacity and must be upgraded to accommodate growth currently underway and possible growth anticipated in the master plan. The University is in discussions with NSTAR, the University's electric service provider, to augment electric service to the campus.
SBA has confirmed that the University's current distribution system is in relatively good condition, thanks to carefully planned upgrades carried out annually in recent years by the University, but this distribution system is without redundancy (entailing a risk to its reliability); remedying this will entail a number of configuration changes in the electric system. For summer 2004, SBA has recommended that the University replace several transformers, including one of the main transformers and associated switch gear in the campus electrical system. To increase efficiency in the University's use of electricity, a capacitor bank for power factor correction is also to be procured, with a goal of installation in spring 2005.
Sebesta Blomberg Associates (SBA), the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering firm selected to perform design work for the steam, electric, and water systems, has conducted an extensive study of the University's steam system, building on the utilities master plan carried out as a preliminary step toward the Infrastructure Renewal Project. SBA considered the costs and benefits of maintaining a centralized system vs. restructuring to a distributed system. While distributed systems may make sense in isolated locations, the University's investment in recent years toward achieving the present excellent condition of the central steam plant has led SBA to recommend that the University maintain the central plant, as the most cost-effective solution to meeting the University's heating requirements in both the short- and long-term.
SBA has completed design work for the segments of the steam network that have been identified as the highest priorities for work during summer 2004. These segments run: 1) from in front of Rabb to the Abraham Shapiro Academic Building, at the north end of campus, and 2) the Science Center to in front of Gryzmish, in the center of campus. Work on the first of these segments will begin immediately after commencement and work on the other will begin in late June. Work on both these segments is expected to be complete before the start of the fall 2004 semester. In summer 2004, work will also be carried out on the segment running from the central steam plant to the Science Center, an additional first-priority segment, to repair condensate leaks resulting in considerable water loss.
Other work planned for summer 2004 includes the replacement of two steam-absorption chillers (one now non-functional, the other failing and currently operating at reduced capacity) with electrical centrifugal chillers. These chillers are needed to support critical loads in the Science Center, and the current chillers, even if they were both functioning properly, do not provide sufficient cooling capacity to meet peak cooling requirements in the Science Center. Electric chillers are less costly than steam-absorption absorbers, both with respect to initial capital cost, and with respect to ongoing operating cost.
Finally, in summer 2004, miscellaneous minor repairs, including steam trap repairs, are also planned.
It was determined in early planning work for the Residence Halls Fire Safety project that the campus water system provided insufficient pressure to support the planned fire protection system upgrades in the University's residence halls. To remedy this, cleaning and relining of a portion of the main water loop was carried out, and a significant improvement in pressure was realized as a result.
For summer 2004, SBA has recommended several additional changes to the University's water system. These include: relining the remainder of the main water loop; creating two new sub-loops, one between Gryzmish and the Ridgewood residence halls and one near Massell and Rosenthal Quads, to increase reliability and capacity in these areas.
For summer 2004, work is planned on twelve roofs identified as being in failure mode. Roof Management Consultants has been selected to prepare construction documents, which should be complete at the end of April. Following competitive bidding, the University expects to award work by the third week of May. Repair work on a number of additional roofs is planned, and priorities for this work are currently being finalized.
Roadways and Pedestrian Safety
A portion of anticipated work in this category will be carried out in coordination with work on the steam and water systems, where this will impact roadways. Early planning work for additional possible pedestrian safety improvements is ongoing. This will include improvements to portions of the pedestrian path leading from the train station to the International Business School, as well as other work to be determined.
The University has completed comprehensive documentation of 103 classrooms identified by the Registrar and the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences for consideration for possible improvement. This documentation with regard to criteria developed by the University with the assistance of Einhorn Yaffee Prescott (EYP), the consultant engaged to provide planning and design services for classroom improvements, has provided valuable information to Dean Adam Jaffe in developing his recommendations for first priorities in classroom improvements.
As an important prerequisite, EYP worked with the Dean, Associate Dean Elaine Wong, the Faculty Advisory Committee, the Project Committee, Facilities Services, and the Office of Capital Projects, on developing standards for the various types of classrooms. Standards for flat-floor classrooms and seminar rooms are complete; standards for tiered classrooms will be developed following completion of summer 2004 work, which is focusing on the flat-floor and seminar rooms (work on tiered classrooms will require more time than was available in planning for summer 2004).
After consultation with all concerned, Dean Jaffe has recommended that the Classroom Improvement Project begin with a pilot project, in which improvements will be made in six rooms this summer - Lown 302; Olin-Sang 116, 201, 212; Pearlman 203; and Shiffman 216. The Registrar will ensure that as wide a range as possible of faculty and disciplines have classes in these pilot project classrooms, with a view to getting broad faculty and student feedback about what works best in these rooms, what is viewed as essential, what improvements may be more than is required, and what elements of the standards may need to be modified.
With this feedback, Dean Jaffe will be well positioned to make decisions about what improvements should be included in Phase 2 of the Classroom Improvement Project. At that point, the University will also have very exact cost information (from the pilot project), allowing the Dean to make a judgment about where on the spectrum the University should be, ranging from improving a small number of classrooms at a very high level to improving many classrooms at a more basic level.
Questions?
If you have questions about major building projects at Brandeis, please contact Dan Feldman, Associate Vice President for Planning, Design, and Construction, at x6-8405 or by email to feldman@brandeis.edu.
For questions about the Infrastructure Renewal Project, please contact either Dan Feldman, at x6-8405 or by email to feldman@brandeis.edu, or Mark Collins, Associate Vice President for University Services, at x6-4506 or by email to collins@brandeis.edu.
This and earlier project update memos to the community can be viewed by clicking on the Documents link on the website of the Office of the EVP/COO, at www.brandeis.edu/evpcoo. This website also provides a suggestion box so you can share your thoughts and suggestions with me and with my staff. I encourage you to communicate with us.