Construction is ramping up atop the Basic Science wing of the main UMass Chan Medical School building to add a ninth level to house new mechanical equipment.
The project will modernize the wing’s HVAC, electrical and related systems.
“Most of these systems are original from when the Medical School building was built in the early 1970s. So, it’s certainly time for an update,” said Brian Duffy, senior director of facilities for capital projects at UMass Chan.
The first phase of the project will add a penthouse on top of the existing eighth floor.
The new 15,300 sq.ft. penthouse will have 15-foot ceilings and a large weather-tight hatch on the roof to allow for equipment to be loaded in from above.
Work began earlier this fall to prepare the roof for construction and to lengthen several of the existing vent stacks so they will extend up through the new penthouse roof, as seen below.
In late October, a crane was set up between the Basic Science wing and the Albert Sherman Center to lift 100 tons of structural steel, including 193 beams and 33 columns, that will frame the new penthouse.
During this phase of construction, which is expected to last for two to three weeks depending on the weather, the walkway between the two buildings will be inaccessible. No pedestrian traffic will be allowed through that area during working hours.
Once the steel frame is in place, construction will proceed on the roof, with crews accessing the work site directly from the eighth floor via the original mechanical room for that wing.
The second phase of the project, which is currently being engineered, involves configuring and integrating the new equipment to serve the building. While the energy modeling is still in development, it is clear the new equipment will be more efficient than the 50-plus year-old systems and include heat-recovery elements that save energy.
“We will modernize, to capture the capabilities of new technology, and also to get ahead of system failures that can happen to aging equipment,” said Andrew Willbrant, senior architectural project manager at UMass Chan
Construction of the penthouse structure will be completed in the spring of 2025. The new mechanical systems, which are built-to-order and have long lead times for delivery are scheduled to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026.
