New Tower
In addition to finishing the facades of the new tower, a lot more exterior work remains to be accomplished before we can move in. For example, sidewalks need to be completed, planters finished, and other trim installed. Workers are improving a lot more than just the terra cotta facing on the tower.
Inside the building, there is also great progress. Floors are being finished with terrazzo in the learning studio and colored polymeric coatings in the lecture rooms. Labs are being fitted out and are beginning to look like their final configurations. With less than two months to substantial completion of the tower, there is a lot to do!
Mathews 16-Day Shutdown is Underway
The Mathews wing is closed to all occupants through April 30, so that the old exhaust system can be replaced with a new exhaust system that uses fans in the new tower. We realize that this outage is disruptive, but the result will be a much improved and much more reliable exhaust system for fume hoods in the Mathews wing—short-term pain but long-term gain.
During the shutdown, the building has reduced the supply of fresh air. There is no exhaust from fume hoods or the liquid nitrogen fill room (1245). Air supplied to that Mathews wing is escaping through windows in laboratories, which have been opened by a small amount. No office windows have been opened.
The NMR facility and the research stockroom are closed. There is limited accessibility to the liquid-nitrogen facility. Large, closed-container liquid nitrogen Dewars may be filled in Rm. 1245 only during business hours (8 am – 4 pm). Open-container liquid nitrogen Dewars may not be filled in Rm. 1245.
The solvent-storage room, gas cylinder room, and loading dock are accessible only during business hours and only by prior arrangement with Aaron. Incoming packages will be delivered to the office of each group PI.
A crane is located near the loading dock. Stay away from the area around the loading dock; there will be considerable overhead work directly above the loading dock.
Occupants of the Shain wing will find ice, and dry ice at the 5th-floor equipment corridor, Shain tower (outside Rm. 5143). Liquid nitrogen will be available from a Dewar located at the 6th-floor equipment corridor, Shain tower (outside Rm. 6143).
Occupants of the Daniels wing must enter through basement entrances along Johnson St. (Do not enter at Shain tower and cross through Mathews.) Fire doors at Mathews / Daniels elevator lobbies are closed. Do not use the Mathews stair towers (except in an emergency). Do not enter the Mathews wing, which is a construction zone. Ice, dry ice, and liquid nitrogen are available in Rm. 2369. Those with a specific purpose at the loading dock or nitrogen fill room can enter only during business hours.
Occupants of the Mathews wing should not enter because Mathews is a construction zone.
This information supersedes any approvals regarding building access that you may request or receive via entry.chem.wisc.edu.
Daniels Three-day Exhaust Interruptions
Beginning May 17 and extending into July there will be many three-day exhaust shutdowns in small portions of floors 3-9 of the Daniels wing. These shutdowns are necessary to allow workers to connect the fume-hood exhaust to the new plenum that surrounds the Daniels rooftop. The facilities committee will notify those affected by each shutdown well in advance.
Graphic Schedule of Upcoming Events
Many different construction activities are simultaneously affecting our building complex. We summarize them graphically below.
We thank Jim Maynard for the photos used in this newsletter issue.
This information is up to date as of Monday morning. Email bulletins will be provided as needed.
John Moore and Bob McMahon