Smith College: Physical Plant: Projects

CURRENT AND UPCOMING PROJECTS

Ada Housing: The Ada Comstock Housing Project will create 10 new apartments. The building was officially named the “Conway House” when the Trustees met in April. The design concept of the building is of traditional architecture, referencing the form and materials of its immediate neighbors. The exterior finishes include brick and stucco which mimic Talbot House, Lamont House and Gill Hall. However the building has its own distinctive interpretation of that tradition with some very decidedly modern elements. Some of those elements are drawn directly from “green” principles. The building design has earned an “Energy Star” 5 star rating, their highest. When construction is near completion it will be tested to determine the final rating.
Ford Hall: A Building for the Sciences & Engineering: Smith is working on plans for a new $73 million, 140,000-square-foot laboratory and classroom building that will structurally and symbolically integrate the Picker Engineering Program and traditional scientific disciplines. A key design element of the building is sustainability and the building itself, with its sophisticated mechanical systems, sensors and controls, will function as a teaching tool.
Talbot and Albright Roofing Upgrades: Both buildings are completely surrounded by pipe staging. Construction cranes can be seen on a daily basis also, giving this corner of the Smith campus a real construction site feel. The work is expected to be completed by the opening of school in September.
Cogen: Several 1947 steam boilers (used to heat our buildings) will be removed and be replaced with a new gas turbine that will drive an electric generator. The electric generator will produce 3.5 megawatts of power (our base load) and the exhaust gases will generate steam. This project will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save approx. $650,000/year in electricity purchase.; Click here for more information about the cogeneration project.
Neilson Library HVAC: The project is a mechanical system upgrade and replacement. The primary work includes reconstruction of seven large air handling units (AHU’s) and the systems that feed heating and cooling to those units. Much majority of the work is confined to the basement mechanical room ( a two story space) below the former public safety offices and the neon lighted tunnel. This equipment supplies heating, cooling and fresh air to all three levels of Alumnae Gym and a good portion of the Neilson South Wing. The work also includes new digital perimeter radiation controls, new duct work on Level C, B and a small amount on Level A of Alumnae Gym. A portion of the South wing has also received new duct work and heat delivery equipment in office areas and archival storage areas. Envelope improvements include window seal replacement, additional wall and attic insulation in some areas and improved space separation between the occupied library spaces and archival storage spaces. When finished, occupants will experience improved indoor air quality, better temperature control, improved archival materials storage conditions and better lighting. The building performance will also improve in terms of energy consumption and maintenance frequency.

RECENTLY COMPLETED PROJECTS

Smith College Early Childhood Education Building: A 10,500 sq. ft. single story preschool building will be built on the grounds of the Lyman Estate at Fort Hill. The Fort Hill Preschool program will be relocated to the new building from the Lyman Estate mansion. The infant and toddler programs will be relocated to this building from the three Fort Hill Apartment units.
Cutter Kitchen: The current kitchen will be renovated to accommodate a kosher/halal kitchen and improve efficiencies.
Rabbi Seltzer's pictures of the renovation
Tyler Kitchen: The current kitchen will be renovated to improve the kitchen environment and efficiencies and to serve an extended meal plan.
McConnell Hall Renovations: Smith is working on renovations to create laboratory facilities for two science faculty and convert McConnell 103 to a new, large case-study classroom; to expand the Science Center technical shop (machine shop); and to refurbish mid-sized McConnell classrooms (McC B-05 and B-15).
Wesley Basement Renovation: This project will add an accessible lift and front entrance on Chapin Drive and completely finish the basement area to include a half bathroom, kitchenette and lounge resource area with internet access. New finishes include carpet, painted walls and acoustical ceilings.
Morris and Lawrence Roofs: Lawrence and Morris are enjoying a major upgrade this summer as both buildings are undergoing roof replacements. The new roofs, consisting of slate shingles and copper gutters and flashings, should provide protection from the elements for at least the next 50 years. As part of the roofwork, the chimneys will be partially rebuilt and completely re-pointed and cleaned.

WEBCAMS

For a live update on construction progress, click on the link below. Webcams are currently installed over the Botanic Garden and the Campus Center, and two more (one on Paradise Pond for the pond dredging and one overseeing the construction of the new Engineering and Molecular Sciences building) will soon be in operation. NOTE: The webcams can ONLY be viewed in Mozilla Firefox, Netscape Navigator, or Opera.

Click here for the webcams