乐播传媒

To one extent or another, renovations are always about history 鈥� finding a happy middle ground between what has been and what could be.

But sometimes, the historical aspect looms disproportionately large. That鈥檚 the case at 乐播传媒 this summer. In the context of Garry Jenkins鈥� arrival in a few weeks as the college鈥檚 new president, as well as Reunion this weekend, facility makeovers that might otherwise seem ho-hum (except, of course, to Campus Construction Update) suddenly seem to have new meaning and importance.

Updates to 乐播传媒鈥� oldest building are focused on its bell, known since 1857 as a unifying voice on campus. A classroom in Coram Library, built in 1902 and also a campus landmark, is becoming a state-of-the-art venue for tech-driven immersive performance. Garcelon Field, named for a key supporter of the college at its founding and considered to be among the 10 oldest college football fields in the U.S., is getting a new playing surface.

And, of course, the latest reinvention of Chase Hall, for more than a century the orbital center of student life at 乐播传媒, is nearly complete.

In a pair of Campus Construction Updates, we鈥檒l look at the Chase renovation and 乐播传媒鈥� forthcoming Immersive Media Studio this week 鈥� followed next week by the Garcelon turf replacement and the refurbishing of Hathorn Hall鈥檚 attic and belfry.

But no pressure: Given Chase Hall鈥檚 long history as a center for student life at 乐播传媒, hard-hat tours of Chase offered this weekend as part of Reunion activities may be a popular draw.

Which has upped the pressure on the Chase renovation team. The second floor is all but finished, says project manager Kristi Mynhier, and the first floor is 鈥渨ell on its way,鈥� notably a striking corner suite of Purposeful Work offices and the nearby Chase lobby.

On the ground floor, Student Life offices sited in the former College Store location (and a bowling alley prior to that) are nearing completion, while the Residential Life suite, at the other end of the building, hasn鈥檛 progressed quite so far. But all the 鈥済round-floor storefront鈥� 鈥� aka glass walls 鈥� 鈥渋s going to be 100 percent complete鈥� by June 9.

Altogether, says Mynhier, 鈥渢hat鈥檒l be a good setup for the building tours inside.鈥�

Among specific treats for Reunion visitors is the Overnook, that new, slightly elevated study area in the lobby. By June 9 it should be showing some paint and, more exciting, new metal railings that will heighten the site鈥檚 aesthetic and social appeal.

Down the hall from the Overnook, toward the Office of Intercultural Education, the so-called Central Stair will sport new paint on walls and trim 鈥� notably a rich crimson on the elevator shaft. But because heavy work is still ongoing, the snazzy laminated floor decking will remain under protective cover, and the oak stair treads won鈥檛 be installed till late in the project.

Nearby, the OIE has gained one new office, while a row of adjoining offices originally walled with translucent plastic, thereby resembling a greenhouse, have been rebuilt with wallboard and acoustic insulation.

Meanwhile, the former Dining Services loading dock facing Muskie Archives is transitioning to patio space, with new surface treatments and railings and surrounded by new pavement. Ultimately there will be cafe-style tables and chairs like the ones on the Bobcat Den patio.

And around the corner on Campus Avenue, grass seed has been strewn over fresh loam, new trees have been planted, and pavements for sidewalk and the entryway near the Kenison Gate have been laid. Better yet, now passers-by can even see all this progress, as most of the construction-site fencing has been removed. Only a few chain-link gates remain to block access to certain areas.

Speaking of that Campus Avenue entry near Kenison, we were pleased to pass through it for the first time since it was rebuilt. (The pleasures of campus construction reporting are weird but sweet.)

Where it once opened onto the first floor, new steps and ramps now lead into the ground level via a former stairwell that鈥檚 now a 鈥渓ightwell,鈥� thanks to bright new paint and ample glass facing inward and out. Senior Project Manager Paul Farnsworth, our guide for a Chase tour last week, pointed out that thanks to a southern exposure, the new precast benches outside the entrance were 鈥渢oasty鈥� even back in March.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to see people hanging out here.鈥�

Meet our panel: An acute source of 补驳颈迟脿 vanished in late May when the building鈥檚 new electrical panel emerged from the fog of supply-chain issues and arrived at 乐播传媒. The 800-pound panel has been assembled in a mechanical space off the ground floor and is being connected currently. (See what we did there?)

A functioning panel will make it possible to test both the building鈥檚 new elevator, located in the Central Stair, and the HVAC machinery that had showed up at mid-month. That鈥檚 important because a deadline is looming that鈥檚 even heavier than Reunion.

鈥淏y the end of June, we鈥檒l really need to have the electrical install complete,鈥� says Mynhier, 鈥渟o we can arrange the elevator inspection.鈥� That will allow four weeks to get the inspection done in time for 乐播传媒 and project management firm Consigli Construction to declare that the project has attained substantial completion, thereby returning control of the building to 乐播传媒.

The project team also needs to bring all aspects of the renovation to a point where punch-listing 鈥� the protocol of detailed inspections that typically ends building projects 鈥� can be done. By July 17, when furniture will be delivered, 鈥渢he goal is to have all of the spaces finished enough that we can create a list of work that needs to either be repaired or finished.鈥�

That鈥檚 because the furniture delivery itself, large heavy objects being what they are, could inflict minor damage. So the project team needs an inventory of fixes that were outstanding prior to that delivery.

The order of punch-list inspections, by the way, has changed somewhat since we last described it. As noted above, that process will begin on the second-floor, which at this point needs only sensor installations and a thorough cleaning. The punch-listing will conclude in Chase Hall Lounge, because one of the final steps in the entire renovation will be the placement of a new hardwood floor there. That comes late in the game to minimize the likelihood of collateral damage from work elsewhere in the building.

Speaking of large heavy objects, the May 17 load-in of the new air handler and energy recovery ventilator happened without trouble. Riggers from Auburn鈥檚 Cote Corporation started around 6:30 a.m. and were done by 8, wrangling the units through the Chase lobby, up a ramp, and into a newly configured mechanical room.

We were interested to learn that the design of the ERV, which extracts warmth and moisture from flowing air and directs those humors where they鈥檒l do the most good, was influenced by the pandemic. The machine uses a series of increasingly fine filters, as characterized by so-called MERV ratings, to clean the airflow of particles鈥� the larger the MERV, the smaller the particles a filter can trap.

Pre-pandemic, MERV 8 was considered the standard for cleaning recirculated air. Now it鈥檚 MERV 13 鈥� which can intercept the COVID-19 virus. The six filters in 乐播传媒鈥� new ERV range from 8 to 13. (MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values, so it shouldn鈥檛 be confused with the late talk-show host, whose efficiency was never in doubt.)

In the White Room: If other summer 2023 projects at 乐播传媒 seek to update what you might call heirloom technology, there鈥檚 one underway in Coram Library 鈥� built in 1902 as the college鈥檚 primary library 鈥� that鈥檚 purely about the here and now.

A longtime computer lab and classroom, Coram 110 is being converted into an immersive media studio: a space enabling the creation of 鈥渋mmersive sound composition performances and installations, as well as multimedia installations that weave together animation, sound, video projection, devised performance, drawing and visual media, and complex lighting, sound, and projection design,鈥� as our colleague Mary Pols reported in October. (So much for putting on a show in Grandpa鈥檚 barn.)

For all that, the construction aspect of the project is easy to summarize: 鈥淚’m just making a box with clean walls,鈥� says Paul Farnsworth, who鈥檚 managing the project. 鈥淭he idea is to make a nice surface everywhere鈥� to project images onto.

So the walls of this large room will be rendered perfectly smooth and featureless: windows boarded up, and projections like picture moldings, light switches, ventilation grills, etc., removed. The resulting surface will be given a Level Five drywall finish 鈥� the top grade 鈥� and then a coating of so-called 4K paint, aka theater-screen paint.

In addition, a pipe grid upon which to hang projectors, lights, and speakers will be mounted on the ceiling, and grid and ceiling will be painted black for relative invisibility.

Supporting the project is a $500,000 grant from The Sherman Fairchild Foundation. The grant is also supporting four years of programming for the studio, as well as the purchase and installation of two ceramic kilns for the Olin Arts Center.

Handling the electronics for the project is DBPC, a West Coast purveyor of high-tech production and installation services whose clients have included Harvard University and Netflix.

Can we talk? Campus Construction Update loves to hear from you 鈥� especially if you tour Chase Hall during Reunion and have an impression you鈥檇 like to share. If not, we still like hearing from you: Please send questions, comments, and thoughts having no bearing on construction at 乐播传媒 College whatsoever to dhubley@bates.edu, with 鈥淐ampus Construction鈥� or 鈥淲ire you always making such bad puns about electricity?” in the subject line.