Construction Update: Williams College North Science Center

After a temporary suspension due to COVID-19, construction for the North Science Center at Williams College has made very good progress during the past couple of months. The new building is a replacement for the Bronfman Science Center and will be the new home to several departments including Mathematics and Statistics, Psychology and Geoscience beginning with the 2021 spring semester.

The building enclosure and interior construction process began in October 2019, after the superstructure was completed. In the next couple of weeks, the brick veneer and glazing of the vestibules on the south façade will be completed, finishing the building exterior. The main focus of the crew will then be on continuing the site work and interior finishes.

Almost all major MEP components have been installed in the basement and roof penthouse levels and required tests are in progress as well as elevator installation. Most of the site utility infrastructure is complete, and the contractor is backfilling and cleaning up the site to prepare for final grading and landscaping.  Plant tagging is the next task for our landscape team.  

Painting has started in most spaces, along with ceiling grid, light fixture and stone tile installations. Interior spaces are getting closer to final finishes, including the two unique double height lounges for the Mathematics and Psychology departments, that have perfect views over the adjacent quad.

The other exclusive feature of the building are classrooms located below grade level with glass walkways on top to provide natural light. After the recent walkway frames and glazing installation were completed, the temporary protection was removed and now we can see how this feature dramatically improves the quality of these spaces.

The final element of the project that will begin soon is construction of the curtainwall at the pedestrian bridge between the Thomson Biology building and North Science building on levels 2 and 3. The bridge will have triple pane glazing with bird friendly UV markers.

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Construction Update: Williams College