New Tower
Both the interior and exterior of the new tower change every day. Inside, plumbing and casework are being installed in laboratories on the fifth, sixth and seventh floors. The eighth floor will follow eventually, but some of the work there cannot be done until the Daniels wing has been connected to the new ventilation system. (See Sixteen-day Shutdown of Daniels section below.) Until that connection is made, parts of the eighth floor of the tower are acting temporarily as a fresh-air duct to bring outside air into the air-supply units on the north end of the ninth floor of Daniels.
Outside the tower, workers have begun to install terra cotta facing on the southwest side of the building. On the opposite corner of the tower, they have completed the installation of decorative granite panels on the columns that support the building above the portico at Mills Street and University Avenue, and work on the portico ceiling is well underway.
Fire Protection.
There are fire-protection crews working in Daniels and Mathews. Here is a schedule of activities.
Until 21 Dec Installation of fire doors between Mathews and Daniels, floors B through 7
The floor plan at the right highlights corridors affected by this work, which will often involve simultaneous activities on several floors. The work will complicate travel between Mathews and Daniels as well as access to elevators on floors where construction is in progress. You might have to go up or down stairs to travel from Mathews to Daniels or vice versa. These circumstances may disrupt the sequence of ‘up’ and ‘down’ stairwells. If you need to use a stairwell in the ‘wrong’ direction, step aside on a landing if you encounter another individual moving in the opposite direction. Installation of these fire doors between Mathews and Daniels have the beneficial effects of improving fire safety and increasing the maximum allowable quantities (MAQs) of flammables and other hazardous materials in our building complex.
Upgrade of Wi-Fi in Shain Tower
DoIT and FP&M have begun the upgrade of the WiFi system in Shain tower. This process involves the installation of new ceiling- and wall-mounted devices and the relocation or removal of old devices. The new devices are located in hallways, offices, and labs throughout our building complex.
The construction crew will consist of two to four electricians, who will need access to these spaces for short durations to complete the installation on each floor.
Work began Fri Dec 11 on floor 8 Shain and will proceed down the tower with approximately 2-4 days of work per floor. This week floors 8 and 7 (and perhaps 6) will have DOiT and FP&M workers present. Next week floors 6 and 5 (and perhaps 2) will be affected. Work on the first floor of Shain is already complete.
The Facilities Committee does not feel that it is necessary to close any portion of the building complex for these fire-protection and Wi-Fi-upgrade activities. Each individual, of course, is free to make their own decision about whether or not they wish to work in the building when construction is occurring in their area. Construction crews will follow all COVID-19 precautions dictated by the University and the State of Wisconsin; activities typically begin at about 6:00-7:00 am and are completed by about 3:00-3:30 pm
Construction at North End of Daniels Begins 4-Jan 2021
The new tower will be connected to the existing Daniels wing at the fourth and fifth floors, as well as from the second floor down to the sub-basement. We expect that on Monday, January 4, 2021 construction will begin to reconfigure the corridors at the north end of the Daniels building and accommodate doorways to the new building.
4th-floor work involves the reconfiguration of Rms. 4343 and 4351.
5th-floor work involves the demolition of Rms. 5341 and 5351.
Construction activities will not affect access to labs, offices, or the stairwell. Dust and debris will be contained behind construction barriers. There will be occasional noise and vibration. Expected completion in early March.
Sixteen-day shutdown of Daniels in February 2021
Exact dates for this work are not yet known but it will require the Daniels building to be unoccupied for 16 days because there will be reduced air supply to floors three through nine, which necessitates the reduction of fume-hood exhaust to maintain normal air pressure in the building. To minimize the number of shutdowns engendered by construction, the facilities committee has worked hard to consolidate many activities that would otherwise require separate shutdowns into this 16-day period. Among these are installation of fire sprinklers and fire alarm, replacement of internet cables, and other construction activities in the Daniels sub-basement laboratory and shop areas. Dates of the Daniels closure are not yet certain but will be confirmed with one-month advance notice.
Graphic Schedule of Upcoming Events
Many different construction activities affect our building complex. We summarize them graphically below.
This information is up to date as of Monday morning. Email bulletins will be provided as needed.
We thank Gerald David of Miron Construction and Jim Maynard for the images used in this newsletter issue.
John Moore and Bob McMahon