Harvard - Allston Campus

Freezing the ground

This was used for the ground under the tracks behind South Station to allow the Big Dig to excavate the old loose fill and then jack a pre-constructed concrete box section of the I-90 Fort Point tunnel
Interesting, but we have no tracks, no big dig (unless Harvard is up to no good), and they capped the site with a thick slab of concrete before they installed all this stuff.
Has it got something to do with toxic soil. Anyone know the history of this site?
 
Interesting, but we have no tracks, no big dig (unless Harvard is up to no good), and they capped the site with a thick slab of concrete before they installed all this stuff.
Has it got something to do with toxic soil. Anyone know the history of this site?

Beeline -- I would suggest someone is planning to dig under the concrete slab -- perhaps Harvard is planning a small Big Dig -- a bit like the underpass in Cambridge
 
IDK about toxic but old maps clearly show this was filled in wetlands. Probably just a really high water table?
 
Could that be related to the Pike re-alignment? I went to the last meeting around that and recall there being a discussion about wetlands.
 
CSX Transportation Corporation (CSXT) is completing a Phase II Comprehensive Site Assessment under the MCP, for the property located south of Western Ave at approximate street address 100 Western Ave. The Disposal Site Boundary extends further south of the IMP boundary. Contamination has been found in both soil and groundwater at the Disposal Site. Soil contamination includes metals, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents. Groundwater contamination includes chlorinated solvents, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and metals. The Phase III report has not been finalized, therefore the requirements for State permits has not yet been identified.

This area most recently used by Romar Trucking.

http://evp.harvard.edu/files/evp/files/deir_web_1220131.pdf
 
New action at the science complex on Western Ave. Wood fence has been removed (Western Ave side) and replaced with normal costruction site fencing. Jersey barriers have been put into place where parking spots once were.

https://flic.kr/p/txprnC
 
Next Harvard Allston Task Force meeting(Sept 15):

Description:
Meeting will be on the overview of two planned projects (Science and Engineering Complex and Klarman Hall).

http://www.bostonredevelopmentautho...il&utm_term=0_bccda74844-7e27d2938d-137187181

Also

The Harvard Allston Task Force met on Wednesday for the first time since last spring to discuss the implementation of the University’s $43 million community benefits package and the results of a Harvard-funded study on possible connections between North Allston and the Charles River.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/9/10/task-force-charles-access/
 
Klarman Hall is 140,000 sq ft, with a 1,000 seat auditorium. Located next to Spangler. Designed by Rawn, to be built by Walsh. It will replace Burden Hall, which will be demolished.
....the existing Burden auditorium as “too small for many of the School’s current gatherings” and notes that “the Hall’s lack of foyer and meeting space, support facilities, and accessibility, limit the School’s ability to host global events and create a first-class learning environment.” Considering its aesthetics and relationship to the larger campus, the statement continues, “Burden Hall was not built as part of the McKim, Mead and White campus, and is a windowless…building lacking a positive relationship with campus open spaces, pedestrian paths, and buildings. It is disconnected from other campus academic and student buildings, and does not contribute to a positive participant experience, or campus life.
Burden was designed by Phillip Johnson. Sic transit gloria.
_____________________
More curiously, at the site of the now demolished and carted away Charlesview, Harvard construction mitigation says that the following will take place next week:

"Concrete core installations and testing will take place throughout the week."

Harvard has long listed Parsons Brinckerhoff Americas as the "emgineer" for the Charlesview site, and the construction manager as Turner. That's overkill for a demolition, and a question is whether this activity is for a tunnel for a mass transit connector, a truncated Urban Ring?
 
Klarman Hall is 140,000 sq ft, with a 1,000 seat auditorium. Located next to Spangler. Designed by Rawn, to be built by Walsh. It will replace Burden Hall, which will be demolished.
Burden was designed by Phillip Johnson. Sic transit gloria.
_____________________
More curiously, at the site of the now demolished and carted away Charlesview, Harvard construction mitigation says that the following will take place next week:

"Concrete core installations and testing will take place throughout the week."

Harvard has long listed Parsons Brinckerhoff Americas as the "emgineer" for the Charlesview site, and the construction manager as Turner. That's overkill for a demolition, and a question is whether this activity is for a tunnel for a mass transit connector, a truncated Urban Ring?


Stel -- that is an intriguing combination of companies and their expertise

Your speculation might be in order -- However, my guess is that if its a tunnel it will be for something akin to the plaza next to Memorial Hall in Harvard Sq. with Cambridge Street running below
 
Stel -- that is an intriguing combination of companies and their expertise

Your speculation might be in order -- However, my guess is that if its a tunnel it will be for something akin to the plaza next to Memorial Hall in Harvard Sq. with Cambridge Street running below
I found a draft of the Harvard Allston IMP from last decade. It shows the proposed route of a transit tunnel:
> running along the west side of the stadium,
> angling SE between the stadium and the outdoor track,
> crossing N. Harvard St.,
> continuing SE through the east portion of the original Charlesview (very close to New England Book Depository (red brick building just to east of the original Charlesview that was supposed to be demolished, but perhaps not now)),
> crossing Western Ave between the old WGBH south building and the east section of the science complex,
> crossing Rotterdam St.,
> continuing SSE to the east of the residences on Windom St.
> crossing Cambridge St., where the map ends.

On the other side of the Charles, I believe most of the tunnel already exists; it ends at Mt. Auburn and Elliott.

Google maps is quite current for this area; it shows the old Charlesview completely gone, and Continuum built out structurally. Klarman looks to be going in the parking lot east of Spangler. Burden is the irregularly shaped building to the NE of Spangler. The map shows the very large area of strange pipes and vents south of Western Ave and east of Rotterdam that Beeline has photographed. Almost certainly, this is ongoing remediation of subsurface environmental contamination.
 
I don't have the IMP, but this is about what I'm interpreting from your post.

Very close on the Allston side.

On the Cambridge side, the routing runs between the Charles River and a point near Mount Auburn St. Eliot St., and Bennett St. (too granular to be more precise) and does not extend to Harvard Square. The route possibly runs along the west side of the Kennedy School, between it and the Charles hotel property.

My understanding is that an abandoned tunnel for the old MBTA storage yard exists for much of the Cambridge side of the route, and it very likely leads to Harvard Sq., but the Harvard IMP map does not take the proposed transit route all the way to Harvard Sq.
 
Very close on the Allston side.

On the Cambridge side, the routing runs between the Charles River and a point near Mount Auburn St. Eliot St., and Bennett St. (too granular to be more precise) and does not extend to Harvard Square. The route possibly runs along the west side of the Kennedy School, between it and the Charles hotel property.

My understanding is that an abandoned tunnel for the old MBTA storage yard exists for much of the Cambridge side of the route, and it very likely leads to Harvard Sq., but the Harvard IMP map does not take the proposed transit route all the way to Harvard Sq.

The tunnel exists, but a lot of electrical infrastructure sits it currently. If that can be relocated, the tunnel can be repurposed for LRT.
 
The tunnel exists, but a lot of electrical infrastructure sits it currently. If that can be relocated, the tunnel can be repurposed for LRT.

Hate to pour cold water on the dreams

According to the IMP -- no plans in the 10 year window deal with anything other than bus stops and Hubway and adding 4 streets


I'm guessing all the digging is going to be involved with water, waste water and storm flows

On further review -- Page 142 of the IMP -- provides the clue to the work -- It all about key infrastructure:
electricity and steam for heating and cooling:

my emphasis added
In support of the near-term planned projects associated with Harvard’s academic facilities, including the new Science project, Harvard anticipates installing a new district energy facility.
It is anticipated that the new facility will not include any new combustion sources and will generate chilled water (for space conditioning and possibly process needs), generate hot water through steam to hot water heat exchangers (for space conditioning and domestic hot water heating), and contain a 13.8 kV electrical distribution substation (for distributing electric power).
The facility is anticipated to be co-located within the new Science Project on Western Avenue.
The new district energy facility will be supplied with high-pressure steam from Harvard’s existing Blackstone energy facility.
To accomplish this, steam and condensate distribution piping/infrastructure will need to be extended from the One Western Avenue/Genzyme area to the site of the new district facility with a new connection being made through the Harvard-owned Hague Street.
Steam will be used to support building process needs (e.g. laboratory related equipment/processes) as well as heating/thermal energy needs through conversion to hot water based systems.
Additionally, NSTAR will need to install new 13.8kV electrical feeders from their existing facilities to the new Harvard electrical distribution substation within the energy facility.
The energy facility will also have associated energy distribution infrastructure (e.g. piping, electrical conduit/cables, etc.) that will be routed to Harvard buildings and/or interconnected with existing Harvard infrastructure.
Distribution infrastructure is expected to be located primarily on Harvard property; however there will likely be instances where public ways will need to be crossed. At this time specific routings, piping/conduit sizing, etc. have yet to be determined and/or evaluated. This will be done as planning, alternatives analyses, and preliminary design activities progress
 
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