The new student residences at 65 (left) and 55 Campus Ave., seen at dusk Nov. 6, 2015. The cupola in between belongs to Lewiston Middle School. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

Whatever the weather may bring, this winter will not be like last winter on the site where two new �ֲ���ý residences are being built.

What makes the difference is the simple fact that much of the forthcoming work will take place indoors at 55 and 65 Campus Ave. — whereas last year at this time, there was no indoors.

Cables, ducts and pipes will disappear behind the ceiling when 55 Campus Ave. is complete. Photograph taken Dec. 1, 2015. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

Back then, workers under the overall supervision of Consigli Construction were still preparing the sites for building foundations, to say nothing of walls and roofs. So every heavy dose of winter weather, and there were a lot starting in January, stalled progress until snow could be cleared. And the workers, of course, had to contend with daylong exposure to cold and snow.

A laundry room in the making at 55 Campus Ave. on Dec. 1, 2015. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

Now, although roofing and outdoor masonry are likely to continue at 55 Campus Ave. into January, most of the work outstanding now is interior. Things like building walls, running utilities, hanging ceilings, applying surface treatments, and so on.

So this year, says �ֲ���ý project manager Chris Streifel, winter’s biggest threat to progress would be weather that “prevents people from getting here and getting into the buildings.”

Maine Masonry was starting on the south wall of 55 Campus Ave. on Dec. 1, 2015. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

Consigli has been planning for winter since summer, and its preparations have been facilitated by a benign autumn. (Pause while we figure out how to work “spring” into that sentence too . . . )

Tim Schneider, Consigli’s on-site project manager, explains that most of the winter prep falls into the realm of common sense. For example, laying in sand and salt to deal with slippery pavements, and tidying up the work site so tools and supplies are findable in the snow.

A drywall installer and an electrician fit out the fourth floor of 55 Campus Ave. on Dec. 1, 2015. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

Of course, getting the buildings buttoned up and weatherproofed has been a priority through the fall, with heavy polyethylene sheets sealing the openings where permanent materials, such as “storefront” plate glass, have yet to be installed.

Keeping things toasty inside are gas-burning heaters: stationary high-capacity units to serve each building as a whole, and portable heaters for specific sites, such as the poly tent that has been draped over the mortar bins that the bricklayers use, since mortar needs to be kept warm.

Tank propane feeds the portable heaters. The whole-building heaters use natural gas, which is more economical, and are hooked into each building’s permanent Unitil gas feed.

Interestingly, the whole-building units are “indirect fired” — the gas combustion warms a heat exchanger, which in turn heats the fresh air that’s pumped into the building through big floppy ducts. Indirect firing minimizes moisture, which can adversely affect building processes like drywalling and flooring, and keeps out exhaust, which can adversely affect biological processes like living.

Concrete, brick, glass

A natural-gas fired heater pumps toasty air into the first and third floors at 65 Campus Ave. on Oct. 30, 2015. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

Landscapers won’t be around to beautify the Campus Avenue compound till next spring or summer, and that will be something to look forward to. But subcontractor Gendron & Gendron had a crew at No. 65 this week doing some advance work: installing concrete foundations for features such as seat walls and benches.

Also in the realm of materials you don’t want to bang your head against, bricklayers for Maine Masonry are on the home stretch. They are polishing off details at No. 65, and next door have one last expanse to cover, a south wall facing away from the street and toward the parking lot.

“So we’re looking at a January time frame for the bricklayers to wrap up,” says Streifel. “And if there’s anything else, they’ll return in the spring.”

Meanwhile, a crew from the local branch of Industrial Roofing Companies is near the finish line at 65 Campus Ave. “They’ve got the side walls of the mechanical well left to do, the caps on the tops of those walls, and there’s some other detail work. But essentially the shingling portion is complete,” says Streifel.

At 55 Campus, IRC folks are about half-done layering up the various sheet and rigid materials that form the roof substrate. Shingling will commence soon.

The other major component of a building’s envelope, of course, is the windows. For the technicians of subcontractor Oakes & Parkhurst, the �ֲ���ý job has two parts. The “storefront,” or plate glass, that will wrap around certain corners and enclose the street-level façade at 65 and other expanses hasn’t been top priority. So expect to see a lot of poly sheeting in its place on both buildings for a little while yet.

Storefront glass on the ground floor of 65 Campus Ave. reveals workers inside the building on Oct. 30, 2015. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

But some of the storefront is in evidence at 65, notably on the first floor, where you can see it from Campus Avenue through the construction fence. The storefront makes a very nice effect.

O&P’s top priority, instead, has been prefab window units that equip all the residential rooms. They are about done with those at 65 Campus, and are roughly at the halfway mark at No. 55. (The World Wide Web tells us that these units are described as “awning” windows, meaning that they are hinged at the top to open from the bottom.)

A roofing technician seen from the mechanical well at 55 Campus Ave. on Dec. 1, 2015. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

Streifel explains that O&P is concentrating on the window units in order to make way for drywall crews, whose work includes making “returns” — recessed areas around the windows.

“It’s part of Consigli’s efforts to plan ahead and make sure that each trade can finish an area they’ve started,” Streifel says.

The 55 Campus Ave. residence glows at dusk on Nov. 9, 2015. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

“Without good planning it is easy to end up with subs only doing 90 percent of a space and then leaving. And then somebody else wants to get in there, and it just slows everyone down and lowers the quality.

“It’s important to both keep these guys moving at full speed and give them space so they can do 100 percent.”

You appreciate Consigli’s choreographic ability still more as you observe the people doing the interior work — wallboard installers, plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, tilers, and more.

Workers for Industrial Roofing atop 65 Campus Ave. on Nov. 10, 2015. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

“It can look chaotic in there, but there’s a method to the madness,” Streifel says. “Consigli’s doing a fantastic job, but I also give credit to Ann Beha Architects,” the Boston firm that designed the new residences.

�ֲ���ý engaged the firm to design the residences — which are part of a greater Campus Life Project that will reinvent �ֲ���ý’ southern periphery — after Beha conducted a preliminary planning study that involved significant campus participation.

A morning image of the new student residences on Campus Avenue, taken on Oct. 30, 2015. (Doug Hubley/�ֲ���ý College)

“They put together a design package that’s quite constructible and they are doing a great job of supporting the construction,” Streifel continues, referring to the portfolio of plans and specifications that Consigli and the subcontractors are following. “Overall it’s a cohesive set of documents and that makes it easier for Consigli to keep the work flowing.”

He explains, “A lot of times the stuff that’s in two dimensions doesn’t translate well to three dimensions, or there’s a lot more information that’s needed that isn’t in those two-dimensional drawings.

“There are varying degrees of completeness and quality that you find on construction projects and this, again, has been a good one.”

Can we talk? Campus Construction Update welcomes your questions and comments about current, past, and future construction at �ֲ���ý. Write to dhubley@bates.edu, putting “Campus Construction” or ‘Don’t bang your head!” in the subject line. Or use the 21st-century commenting system below.

�ֲ���ý College will build new residence halls on Campus Avenue as the first step of a Campus Life Project intended to establish a dynamic center of college life on the south side of campus, �ֲ���ý President Clayton Spencer announced today.

In addition to new student housing, the Campus Life Project will transform Chase Hall into a contemporary campus center, relocate the College Store to street-level space in the public eye, and create a more defined and welcoming gateway to �ֲ���ý on the southeast corner of campus.

The two shaded ovals in this aerial view of campus represent the general focus of the Campus Life Project along Campus Avenue. The lower oval shows the location of future residence halls, including space for the College Store. The upper oval shows Chase Hall. Note: This illustration is not intended to demarcate the specific project footprint. (Map data: Google Earth)

“The Campus Life Project represents a crucial step forward in our commitment to deliver a highly personal liberal arts education that locates the academic experience in a residential community,” said �ֲ���ý President Clayton Spencer.

“By adding a new suite of residence halls, the project allows us to improve our residential offerings on a broad scale, while preserving the rich variety of housing options that is a �ֲ���ý hallmark. Locating the housing across from a new campus center in a transformed Chase Hall will ensure that the living space is integrated with much-needed meeting and social spaces for all members of the campus community.”

Design on the residential halls is underway. An ambitious building schedule calls for groundbreaking in September 2014 and opening the new buildings for students in fall 2016. College offices now housed in wood-frame buildings on and near Campus Avenue will be relocated beginning in June.

The project will be funded through a combination of tax-exempt financing and significant college fundraising, including naming opportunities at a variety of levels.

The Campus Life Project builds on the work of the Campus Facilities Master Plan, first developed in 2004 and updated in 2010 to guide the physical development of the �ֲ���ý campus and support broader strategic planning decisions. The initiative is overseen by the Campus Facilities Master Plan Steering Committee and a project advisory committee, both comprising students, faculty and staff who represent a broad array of functions and expertise across campus.

The Campus Life Project’s various elements, including landscaping and signage, will turn a few blocks of Campus Avenue into a lively center of �ֲ���ý life.

The college has retained Ann Beha Architects, a Boston–based planning and design firm, as project architect. Ann Beha and her team have extensive experience in designing signature buildings for colleges and universities, as well as other cultural institutions. Chris Streifel of �ֲ���ý Facility Services will serve as project manager.

The Campus Life Project’s various elements, including landscaping and signage, will turn a few blocks of Campus Avenue into a lively center of �ֲ���ý life, and “will renew and extend �ֲ���ý’ identity and resources along Campus Avenue, while establishing a vibrant campus gateway and a hub for community activity,” architect Beha said.

New residence halls continue the college’s strategic plan to improve student housing by reducing the density of beds in other residences.

The first part of the Campus Life Project is the design and construction of a suite of new buildings on college-owned property on Campus Avenue, across from Carnegie Science Hall, Chase Hall and Muskie Archives. In addition to residential space for more than 200 students, new spaces will be created for the College Store (currently located in a lower level of Chase Hall), office services and other administrative functions.

The addition of new residence halls continues the college’s strategic plan to improve student housing by reducing the density of beds in other residences, including Smith Hall. With no plans to increase the size of the student body, �ֲ���ý will remain at its current enrollment of approximately 1,750 students on campus and 250 studying abroad.

Following completion of new construction on Campus Avenue, �ֲ���ý will undertake a comprehensive reimagining and expansion of Chase Hall to serve as the hub of campus life. The restoration will incorporate contemporary architectural elements while preserving those components of Chase Hall that are historically significant, said architect Beha.

Once renovated, Chase will offer gathering spaces for �ֲ���ý students, faculty, staff and alumni while also making a striking first impression for prospective students visiting campus. Housing student-facing administrative offices as well as spaces for student organizations, the building will be lively at all hours of the day and night.

“Our goal is to complete the reclamation of Chase Hall for today and to place this beloved building front and center as a hub of �ֲ���ý campus life,” Spencer said.

A historic campus landmark dedicated in 1919 as a social center for men, Chase Hall quickly evolved into an all-student gathering place. It has long provided a wide variety of spaces: offices for student organizations; venues for social events (it was where �ֲ���ý men and women first danced together, in 1922); and, until a new facility was opened in 2008, the college’s dining Commons.

Chase has undergone a number of additions and renovations over the decades, the most recent in 2012. Supported by generous alumni and parents, �ֲ���ý made significant improvements to the lobby, Bobcat Den and Chase Lounge, and created meeting space for the �ֲ���ý Outing Club.

“Our goal is to complete the reclamation of Chase Hall for today and to place this beloved building front and center as a hub of �ֲ���ý campus life,” Spencer said.

From June through August, the college will relocate several offices now housed in wood-frame buildings on and near Campus Avenue. They include the �ֲ���ý Career Development Center, the �ֲ���ý Communications Office and the Office of Intercultural Education as well as some student organizations. Their current buildings will be razed.

The college’s contemporary planning process dates to 2004 and the approval of a Campus Facilities Master Plan. The plan provided strategic guidance for several construction projects, including the cross-campus Alumni Walk, a student residence at 280 College St. and the Commons dining facility, plus a major restoration of the Gomes Chapel and the expansion of Hedge Hall and Roger Williams as academic centers.

The current round of projects outlined in the updated Master Plan was authorized in October 2013 by the college’s Board of Trustees, which voted unanimously to approve a project recommendation from the Campus Facility Master Plan Committee.