Harvard SEC (Science & Engineering Complex) | Western Ave | Allston

^^^ No, your top two photos are of a different site which is south of 100 Western Ave. They are piledriving a lot of concrete pilings. Don't know what the project is. The last time I walked by (about 2 months ago) I could not find any signage. Not even a contractors name. In your third photo the crane on the left is the SEC.
 
^^^ No, your top two photos are of a different site which is south of 100 Western Ave. They are piledriving a lot of concrete pilings. Don't know what the project is. The last time I walked by (about 2 months ago) I could not find any signage. Not even a contractors name. In your third photo the crane on the left is the SEC.

The 100 Western Ave. may be related to this.

https://www3.epa.gov/region1/npdes/remediation/noi/2014/AllstonLandingNorthDischargeANOI2014.pdf

Which could explain the lack of signage.

I have a faint recollection that Harvard's Allston updates on its construction mitigation website a few weeks back mentioned a utilities complex associated with the new Science and Engineering buildings. The phrasing made me think the utilities complex was separate. I wondered whether these utilities might be emergency generators, etc.
 
stellar, you have nailed it. This is the location of the piledriving. Not sure if it is connected to the SEC utilities complex you mention. However at the western side of the SEC site they look to be building a large tunnel running N/S. During the winter the contractor was doing a lot of digging directly N across Western Ave. from this new tunnel. I took it to be related to the relocation (to the north) of Western Ave. This maybe the SEC utilities complex. Very interesting stuff.

By the way the 100 Western Ave site has been cleared and leveled. No more flashing lights, odors, high voltage, or concrete cap. I guess the mitigation process was successful unless they have to leave the site fallow for years (?) before they can build on it.
 
BeeLine, the weekly construction mitigation reports often spoke of the utilities tunnel, and the need to temporarily re-align Western Ave to construct it.

And for a number of reasons, a mini-hub for distributing utilities makes sense. None of the utilities for the largely residential neighborhood of Allston is sized to support this scale of quasi-industrial development that Harvard envisions here and in the Beacon yards.
 
BeeLine, here's your answer from this week's Harvard construction mitigation website.

District Energy Facility Site Activities

Pile driving will continue. This activity will be noisy.
Piles will be delivered to the site daily.
Pile deliveries and installation will continue through June.
 
^^^ Thanks. As usual you provide us with some great info.
 
Weirdly, I think I'm more excited about this project than any other right now. I think this has the ability to transform Allston.
 
37415567254_061f572758_b.jpg
 
beeline, garage under; open space, greenery above.

Harvard owns the properties at the accessible end of Seattle St., and I expect they will eventually buy Supply New England on Windom St (which has a 65 Seattle address). Long term future might see another SAE building on that set of parcels. The several houses at the stub end of Hopedale are untenable as single family within 7-10 years.
 

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