Replacement of the Granite Facade and Enhancement of the Window System

This component of the project is not cosmetic or optional: The current facade and window system is worn out and must be replaced. A range of potential solutions has been evaluated and the most cost-effective, safe and responsible plan is replacement with a weather-tight, energy-efficient and contemporary "building envelope" that uses current technology, materials and design.

In order to ensure that this “building envelope” effectively replaces the existing granite façade, Bovis Lend Lease, the construction management firm overseeing the Campus Modernization Project, and Payette Associates, the designers of the façade and window system, have completed a careful and integrated survey of the existing granite façade, window system and underlying concrete structure.

With the detailed information gathered through the survey, Bovis and Payette have devised and proposed two replacement options; one termed “direct attachment” and the other “double wall.” Both options allow the construction team to leave the current window system in place during the project, eliminating the need to erect temporary interior walls to contain construction or to move employees on a massive scale to temporary rooms away from the building's exterior. As design development, material selection and code reviews progress, the following information illustrates the specifics of the removal and replacement processes.

Click here for a visual overview of the façade removal and replacement sequence.

Comments or questions about Campus Modernization?
Send them to  campus.mod@umassmed.edu .