Expected Campus Interruptions: 

Construction fencing will be placed in the construction area as of Wednesday, February 6.  The four parking spots against the lawn will be enclosed in the fencing area.  Expect frequent large truck traffic in the Commons East parking lot as construction materials are delivered.  Travel in and out of the parking lot during working hours will be difficult.  Footings are being driven to support the addition to Commons Dining Hall.  This work will commence Monday, February 11 and will continue for a period of approximately 4 weeks.  This work will include loud noise and frequent vibration as the footings are driven into the ground.  Working hours are expected to be Monday-Friday from 8am until 6pm.  If weekend or off-hour work is required, a separate notice will be posted here.

Please be informed that the 2024 Annual Utility Shutdown for Assessment and Repair will take place on the following dates:

• Steam outages: May 3-11
• Electrical outages: May 6-9.

The electrical outages are necessary to exercise electrical system distribution feeders and test automatic transfer switches for emergency power generators.

Please see below the Steam and Electrical Outage spreadsheets for more information about times, dates, and affected buildings as various locations will experience “short term outages” lasting between 5 to 120 minutes, while others may be down for an extended period.

•    Normal Power = Regular supply of electricity for outlets and lights  
•    Emergency Power = Backup power supply reserved for sensitive equipment, typically supported by generators

PLEASE PLAN ACTIVITIES AROUND THE TIMES LISTED IN THE ATTACHED SCHEDULES TO AVOID ANY STEAM OR ELECTRIC SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS.

Point of Contact is Lynn J. Gray: grayl4@rpi.edu

Thank you for cooperating with us as we perform these important infrastructure maintenance duties to keep the campus community safe.  

The FIXX TEAM

 

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT COMMUNICATION

Important Notice From - ADMINISTRATION DIVISION

 

Topic – Roof Replacements at Materials Research Center (MRC), Empire State Hall (ESH) and the Jonsson-Rowland Science Center (West Wing)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Project Team	Department	Team Role	Email Address
Robert (Bob) Rowe	CP&FD	Project Coordinator	rower4@rpi.edu
Abbey Killam	EH&S	Chemical Hygiene Officer	killaa@rpi.edu
Kevin Surman	Physical Plant	Building Utilities and Infrastructure	surmak@rpi.edu
Rob Carney	CP&FD	Director	carner@rpi.edu
Jen Kazmierczak	EH&S	Director	kazmij@rpi.edu
Dave Ira	Physical Plant	Director	irad@rpi.edu

 

Construction Schedule / Work Dates / Hours

• Laboratory personnel must prepare their fume hoods for the shutdown by June 12

• Construction Starts – Monday June 17, ’24
• Construction Complete – Friday August 9, ‘24
• Daily Work Hours (Tentative) M-F 6:00 AM – 2:30 PM

 

Summary of Work

The work on all three roofs will consist of removal of  existing roofing material, patching of the concrete deck where previous roof penetrations occur and replacing with a vapor barrier, covering the roof deck with 4” tapered insulation (1/8” per Ft. pitch) with a cover board, then a new 90 mil EPDM (rubber membrane) roof. 

The roof removal on Empire State Hall / MRC will begin on Empire State Hall and move to the MRC, with the work moving EAST to WEST.

Contractor Building Access

Please note the parking area on the south side of MRC will be the staging area for MRC project, The loading dock will still be open to allow for deliveries for the MRC/Empire State and Cogswell buildings. There will also be a greater presence of roof workers present in that area.

Contractor personnel will access the work site from scaffolding set up on the exterior of the buildings and should not be inside of the buildings unless directed by Project Coordinator.

Impact on Building Ventilation Systems

The roof replacement project requires a complete fume exhaust hood shutdown for Empire State Hall and MRC roofs for the safety of the personnel working on the roof.

The building ventilation system requires fume hood exhaust as well as the supply air fan for temperature and humidity control. We will make every effort to provide reasonable cooling and humidity control by manually manipulating the supply air fan during the project.

Note: Because the exhaust system will be disabled, temperature and humidity control may be less than design parameters. Outdoor weather conditions may have a more significant effect on the indoor air conditions.

Noise Impacts

There will be noise impacts during the removal of the existing roofs, but also some expected during the installation. We are looking to work with the chosen contractor to keep the most noise-generating work to the early morning hours so the later work will be more of installing the new roof material.

Nuisance Odors

There may be some nuisance odors generated during the replacement of the new roof, adhesion glues, heating during the lapping process of the roof. 

Restrictions on Laboratory and Research Activities

Cogswell

• It is anticipated that Cogswell fume hoods will remain operational during the roof project; however, chemicals listed on the Restricted Chemical Use in Cogswell cannot be used at any time during the roof project, including off hours.
• Any Cogswell laboratories that wish to perform work in fume hoods during the roof project must have an updated chemical inventory reviewed by EHS before June 12.
• All chemicals on the restricted list must be properly stored (not in fume hoods) and segregated from other chemicals by June 12.
• EHS will inspect each lab June 13 and 14 to ensure restricted chemicals are stored properly to remain operational.
• Contact Abbey Killam at killaa@rpi.edu with questions or for more information.

Empire State Hall and MRC

• Fume hood exhaust will be shut down and no chemical use is permitted in Empire State Hall or MRC during the roof project, including off hours.
• Laboratory personnel must prepare their fume hoods for the shutdown by June 12 following Temporary Shutdown of Fume Hoods: Instructions for Laboratory Personnel.
• EHS will inspect each lab June 13 and 14 to ensure fume hoods have been properly prepared.
• If any laboratories plan to work temporarily in other buildings during the roof project, a review of chemical use must be approved by EHS in advance of moving any chemicals or starting any laboratory work.

Jonsson-Rowland Science Center (JRSC) There are no anticipated impacts on fume hoods or restrictions on chemical use expected in JRSC