Construction work will take place throughout Barnard’s campus during Winter Break, mainly affecting Barnard Hall and Altschul Hall.

This Tuesday, December 19, Barnard Builds announced construction work to take place throughout Barnard’s campus during the Winter Break period, between Friday, December 22 and Saturday, January 13. The Francine LeFrak Center in Barnard Hall will undergo extensive construction work, while pre-construction work for the upcoming Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Center is planned in Altschul Hall. Additional minor work will also take place around campus. 

In Barnard Hall, the north elevator will remain offline, while the south elevator will remain available. The lower level tunnel connecting Hewitt Dining Hall to the Milstein Center will be closed. The remaining floors of Barnard Hall will remain accessible as contractors install framing and piping.. Electrical and mechanical piping installations will occur on the fourth floor, attic, and roof; however, contractors will employ dust mitigation strategies to minimize the impact to Barnard Hall’s fourth floor. Contractors will also undertake partial roof demolition at the southwest corner of the building, which Barnard Builds advised will cause heavier noise for two days. In the Faculty Office and Lounge, tiles will be removed and replaced to facilitate the sprinkler pipe system; surrounding surfaces will be protected. Lastly, Barnard Hall may experience disruptions to its heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical systems. If so, Barnard Builds plans to announce the affected dates via email. 

In Altschul Hall, pre-construction work will occur between Tuesday, January 2 and Saturday, January 13. Brick pavers on the 119th breezeway will be removed and concrete will be cut. However, foot traffic on 119th should not be impaired. Additionally, a well will be drilled on Claremont  near the Altschul garage door, and Barnard Builds estimates noise and vibrations from the work will be heard in the first floor and cellar of Altschul. Pavers will be briefly removed in areas of the Altschul second floor terrace, but will not impact walkways. Probes and core drilling will occur and be patched. Elevator shafts will be probed at multiple locations in Altschul, being taken offline one at a time. 

During this time, painting and electrical installations will take place on the fifth floor of Milbank and in Room 103 of the Diana Center. Contractors will remove rooftop telecom equipment on the Milbank roof between Friday, December 22 and Monday, January 8, causing occasional noise. Crane work is expected to occur on Saturday, January 6 to remove these materials; the crane will be located near 120th and Claremont. Lastly, contractors will access Elliott Hall and selected dorm rooms for environmental sampling. Contractors will be escorted by Barnard Facilities staff if they need access to rooms containing students’ belongings. Doors will be locked afterwards. 

Barnard Builds concluded its email by referring students to the Barnard Builds website and email address for further questions. 

Email sent to Barnard community members on Tuesday, December 19 at 1:07 pm: 

Dear Barnard Community,

With many members of our community away over the coming weeks, our teams will be doing extensive construction work on the Francine LeFrak Center in Barnard Hall, pre-construction work for the upcoming renovation of Altschul Hall, and additional work around campus. This work, some of which will be noisy, will occur between Friday, December 22 and Saturday, January 13. For those who will be on campus during these days, please note details of the work below:

BARNARD HALL – FRANCINE LEFRAK CENTER WORK

• The north elevator will remain offline for upgrades throughout winter break. The south elevator will remain accessible for use.
• The lower level tunnel will be closed for the duration of winter break from the south elevator to the Milstein Center. 
• Expect increased contractor presence in the Barnard Hall lobby (patching/painting, installation of electrical and security devices, and the removal of CARES window). The lobby will remain accessible, but we may need to reroute as needed.
• Expect increased contractor presence and noise on the fourth floor, attic and roof levels as they work on electrical and mechanical piping installations. Dust mitigation strategies will be in place to minimize impacts on the fourth floor. There will be two days of heavier noise for partial roof demolition at the southwest corner.
• The remaining corridor and shaft work will be substantially completed in the southwest corner of the second, third and fourth floors. Remaining work includes installation of mechanical piping, insulation of piping, and framing of walls, doors, and ceilings in the corridors.
• Work will be completed on the sprinkler pipe cross-connection work in the Facility Office and Lounge. Workers will install 4-inch piping above the ceiling within the Facilities offices. Tiles will be removed and replaced as needed to facilitate the work and protection will be installed on surrounding surfaces or equipment during work.
• There may be potential disruptions to Barnard Hall’s heating and cooling systems, plumbing and electrical. If that work is scheduled, we will share the dates in a separate email.

ROY AND DIANA VAGELOS SCIENCE CENTER WORK

• The pre-construction work described below will occur between Tuesday, January 2 and Saturday, January 13.
• Test pits at 119th Street on the campus side of the breezeway will require temporary removal of brick pavers and cutting of concrete beneath pavers, adjacent to the planter walls near Milbank Hall. There should be no impact to foot traffic on 119th Street. The walkway between Milbank Hall and Altschul Hall will not be impacted.
• We will be drilling a test well along Claremont Avenue near the Altschul garage door. Noise and vibrations will impact the adjacent spaces on the first floor and cellar level of Altschul Hall while the work is ongoing. A small portion of the sidewalk along Claremont will be closed to complete the work, but foot traffic will be able to continue on the remainder of the sidewalk.
• We will be drilling a test well in Altschul Hall Cellar level at the base of the parking garage ramp. The area will remain open to foot traffic, but you may notice moderate noise and vibration in the area and on the first floor.
• Pavers will be temporarily removed in select locations on the Altschul Hall second floor terrace. There will be no impacts to walkways in or out of Altschul Hall. Openings will be patched after measurements and photographs are taken.
• We will be doing probes on the Altschul Hall first floor limestone adjacent to 119th Street. Small 12” x 12” sections will be removed for analysis and covered back. Foot traffic on 119th Street will remain open.
• We will be conducting core drilling and rebar sampling in the fifth floor corridor above the fourth floor conference room. Temporary protection and sampling will impact the fifth and fourth floors at these locations. Openings will be patched immediately upon completion of work.
• The Altschul elevator shaft walls will be probed and photographed at multiple locations on the second and 14th floors. Elevators will be taken offline one at a time when these probes are taken, leaving two elevators still running at all times. Openings will be patched once measurements and photographs are taken.
• Altschul stair A and B walls will be probed and photographed at multiple locations on the tenth and 14th floors. Openings will be patched once measurements and photographs are taken.
• We will be doing probes in Altschul Hall Lab 1014 on the east-facing masonry wall above and below existing windows. Openings will be patched once measurement and photographs are taken.

ADDITIONAL CAMPUS WORK

• Expect increased contractor presence in the Milbank fifth floor (patching/painting, installation of electrical and security devices. The lobby will remain accessible.
• Workers will be cutting openings in the south wall of Diana Room 103 for visual inspection of existing conditions. The openings will be patched after visual inspection and photographing of the space.
• Contractor will be present at Milbank Hall roof between Friday, December 22 and Monday, January 8 to disassemble and remove rooftop telecom equipment. The building tenants shall expect occasional banging and power tool noises throughout the duration of the work. The crew is also planning crane work on Saturday, January 6 to pick and remove all materials off the project site. The crane will be located near West 120 and Claremont Avenue, with workers present to facilitate traffic flow. 
• Contractor will be accessing Elliott Hall and selected dorm rooms to perform interior environmental sampling work. The team will be escorted by Barnard Facilities staff when accessing rooms with students’ belongings and making sure the doors are locked afterwards. 

For additional information on the Barnard construction projects, visit the Barnard Builds website and/or email barnardbuilds@barnard.edu. On behalf of all the construction teams and Barnard’s Capital Projects, Facilities and Operations teams, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

Barnard Builds

Barnard Hall via Bwog Archives.