{"id":145688,"date":"2022-04-14T08:03:59","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T12:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=145688"},"modified":"2026-02-19T08:52:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:52:54","slug":"campus-construction-update-april-15-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2022\/04\/14\/campus-construction-update-april-15-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Campus Construction Update: April 15, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The weeks leading up to Commencement have their own extraordinary excitement. It\u2019s an electric current that tickles every campus constituency \u2014 seniors and their families, college staff who have befriended the graduates-to-be, and, of course, the faculty who have taught and guided those students for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the run-up to May 29 and Commencement 2022 offers a unique treat that Campus Construction Update would like to take personally: The removal of the construction-site fence that since last July has surrounded Dana Chemistry Hall, now just Dana Hall, while the 57-year-old building has undergone a thorough renovation<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since we began construction reporting, eons ago, we have griped about site fences because they block our probing camera and snooping eyes. (A stepladder helps us peep over the fence. We don\u2019t talk about the stilts.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Payette

Payette green is the color of some walls and flooring in and around Dana Hall restrooms. This is the first floor. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"The

The primary entrance to the Dana Hall construction site. The fencing is scheduled for removal the week of May 23. (In nice weather, Campus Construction Update has spent many happy hours in the Adirondack chairs.) (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"Coathooks

Coathooks and cubbies for student use are among the built-in furnishings broadly known as casework. Shown is the corridor giving access to second-floor restrooms. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"Hello,

Hello, young louvers: Guarding air intakes for the Dana Hall HVAC system, the louvers at center were installed earlier this month. It was the first time since last summer that those openings had permanent coverings. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"An

An artist’s pallet: Composition in masonry near the future site of an HVAC water chlller at Dana Hall. Note the 1971 ivy stone to the right of center. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"The

The darker gray contraptions are HVAC exhaust fans newly installed in Dana\u2019s attic. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"Green

Green data cables are bundled in a first-floor information technology closet. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"Payette,

Payette, the architectural firm that designed both the new Bonney Science Center and the renovation of Dana Hall, specified a pale gray paint for expanses of ceiling where utilities infrastructure is exposed. The visual effect is a sort of industrial chic. The loose wrapping is insulation around air-supply ducts, and the silvery gizmo is a fire sprinkler \u2014 nowadays they\u2019re mounted on hoses so they can be moved for easy access to nearby items needing service. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"Steam

Steam from the campus central heating plant enters the Dana Hall heating system through the opening in the basement wall at center. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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But now Chris Streifel, project manager for the Dana renovation and the strategic realignment of Bates science facilities<\/a> of which it\u2019s a part, tells us that around May 23, the green fabric and chain-link fence around Dana will go away \u2014 to which we say, Huzzah! (Streifel also points out that around that same time, a similar fence will arise around Chase Hall as a major makeover<\/a> of that building begins. To which we say: Drat! Drat!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Streifel notes, the Dana project could reach \u201csubstantial completion\u201d \u2014 a contractual milestone where project management firm Consigli Construction returns legal control of the building to Bates \u2014 about a month after the fence goes away. That will begin a race to the finish that includes moving furniture, supplies, and people into Dana in time to reopen the building in time for the new academic year. (The college will also need a certificate of occupancy from the city of Lewiston.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a few notable exceptions, a characteristic of the renovation has been its focus on the building’s interior. But the site fence removal comes as the project team starts giving more love to Dana\u2019s exterior and surroundings. A conspicuous change will be the placement, at the wall facing Hedge Hall, of a chiller to supply cold water that will help regulate air temperatures inside. Starting early this month, masons have made good progress on the chiller foundation and a beauty wall for the installation, and the machine itself should be in place before the end of April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Concrete<\/a>
Concrete soon to be placed in the wooden form will create a base for an HVAC water chiller at Dana’s east wall, facing Hedge Hall. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gendron & Gendron, a local company familiar to our regular readers, will soon begin a round of site work entailing drainage infrastructure, land contouring, and finally restoration of plantings and other amenities. And a general cleanup of the site will begin on the Historic Quad side of the site \u2014 the side facing the college’s Commencement venue \u2014 and proceed toward Alumni Walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe expect to have things looking pretty decent for Commencement,\u201d says Streifel. \u201cWe\u2019ll have snow fences around to keep people off the freshly seeded lawns, and there may still be some plant-related things to do, but it’ll look a lot more like it normally does.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what\u2019s happening inside Dana? The big news is a predicted surge of what the pros call casework: built-in furnishings ranging from lab benches and fume hoods to shelves and student cubbies, some of which have already been installed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Coathooks<\/a>
Coathooks and cubbies for student use are among the built-in furnishings broadly known as casework. Shown is the corridor giving access to second-floor restrooms. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a pretty substantial casework package in this building,\u201d says Streifel. It\u2019s proportionately smaller than what went into the new Bonney Science Center, because Dana doesn\u2019t have research labs, \u201cbut nevertheless there are five teaching labs that have a pretty significant quantity of laboratory case work.\u201d Bedcolab of Laval, Quebec, is providing the lab-specific furnishings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of overall progress, the third floor is a bit behind the first and second (it will get a trophy anyway, we\u2019ve been assured), and that\u2019s where workers from Roland\u2019s Drywall will be ending their primary contribution to the Dana project as they finish soffits around the ceiling perimeters. The third level is also where most of the remaining utility rough-ins are still being made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the second and first levels, meanwhile, all manner of surface treatments have blossomed. Much of the final floor covering has been laid in the first story \u2014 medium gray rubber-like tiles for most areas, but restrooms and adjacent corridors are receiving the eye-popping lime-popsicle green that\u2019s a visual signature of Payette, the project design firm for both Dana and Bonney. Textured temporary covers are protecting the new tiles from construction activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Suspended

Suspended power in a first-floor classroom. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"These

These canisters hold sand that will filter the water supply into Dana Hall. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"Ceiling

Ceiling grids have been hung in much of Dana Hall. In this second-floor classroom, taking a break are workers for Roland’s Drywall. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"As

As the Dana Hall renovation nears its end, the site fence is not long for this world. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"Shown

Shown are two colors of floor tiles awaiting placement in Dana Hall. The Payette-green tiles will be used in and around restrooms, as well as for accents elsewhere. The blue and orange areas are temporary protective coverings atop new tiles. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"This

This rain-blurred photo shows where a chiller for the Dana Hall HVAC system will be placed in the coming weeks. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"The

The suspended ceiling grid in a second-floor classroom. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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\"One

One of two main lobbies in Dana Hall, this second-floor space opens onto the Historic Quad. A lobby one level down and at the far end of the building faces Alumni Walk. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/p><\/div>

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Payette green also enlivens wall tiles and paint in and around the restrooms, as well as accents in stairways and elsewhere. But white and pale gray are dominant paint colors, with the latter providing visual unity to dense conglomerations of ceiling pipes and ducts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terminal utility connections \u2014 e.g., wall outlets, light fixtures, water faucets \u2014 are abounding on the two lower levels. Likewise are suspended ceilings, with most of the metal grids and lots of tiles in place, in particular tiles associated with fittings such as sprinklers or occupancy sensors. Miles of cable \u2014 telecom, data, audio-visual, fire response, security \u2014 have been pulled into place and terminated, with miles more to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, in the attic and basement, the mind-boggling drive to build out building-wide systems goes on. In the fourth-story attic, which is more of a metal jungle than ever, the two HVAC exhaust fans are in place and undergoing connection to their duct and electrical networks. The big primary air handler<\/a> is sprouting hookups in every direction, including heavy steel pipes that will bring heat from the campus steam plant into the system. Steamfitting in the basement, where campus steam enters the building, and in the attic is largely complete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given this frenzy of engineering, major equipment startups and system-wide tests aren\u2019t too far off. \u201cWe’re probably two or three weeks away,\u201d says Streifel. \u201cThe big air handler will likely be the first item.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The heavy black pipes bring steam to and from the Dana Hall air handler in the attic. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overall, \u201cConsigli has got a pretty good game plan going,\u201d he continues. In terms of workers on site, \u201cwe\u2019ve been in the range of 60 to 70 persons per day for a while. So it’s pretty busy. Dana has about half the space of Bonney, and that’s a little bit more than half of the people that we had at peak at Bonney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo that means there’re a lot of people working in the building and they’re spread out all over the place. You walk into any room and you’re likely to find somebody there or not far away. So it’s moving along quite well in an organized-chaos type of approach.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we told you last month that doors were among construction components made scarcer by COVID-related supply chain delays. Apparently that conga line is once again crossing the ballroom floor, though, because this week\u2019s Dana tour revealed 70 or so new doors stockpiled for installation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Streifel allows that the Dana project may indeed \u2014 mixed metaphor alert! \u2014 be out of the supply-chain woods. By now, \u201cthere aren’t too many things that haven\u2019t been ordered already,\u201d he says. \u201cIt would be inappropriate for me to say no, we’re all good, but I think we’re in pretty good shape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can we talk<\/strong>? Campus Construction Update welcomes queries and comments about current, past, future, timeless, and \u201cthat never happened \u2014 or did it?\u201d construction at Bates. Write to dhubley@bates.<\/a>edu<\/a>, putting \u201cCampus Construction\u201d or \u201cSuspended power? Wire they doing that?” in the subject line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doug Hubley is a writer and musician living in Portland, Maine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Once<\/a>
Once in short supply, interior doors for the Dana Hall renovation are now abundant. (Doug Hubley\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We gripe about construction site fences because they block our snooping eyes. But around May 23, the fence enclosing Dana Hall will go away \u2014 to which we say, Huzzah! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":145725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1932,12269,7765],"class_list":["post-145688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-batesnews","tag-campus-construction-updates","tag-dana-hall","tag-science-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145688"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145688\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":172022,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145688\/revisions\/172022"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}