Construction Project Updates

As 2016 draws to a close, construction crews continue work on the Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion. Last week, the final concrete pour for the floor of the skyway was completed, and 21st Avenue South was re-opened for through traffic.

CONSTRUCTION SITE WORK

Construction work this week includes the following activities:

• Window frames and glass. Installation of window frame and glass continues on the north wing this week. (See photos below of the east and west sides of the north wing.)

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 

  Precast exterior brick. There are just a few precast brick panels remaining to be installed in the stair area on the north side of the north wing. Those panels will be installed next week, completing the precast work on that wing of the building–with the exception of the skip hoist area; precast panels will be installed in that area after the skip hoist is removed.

• Stairwells. The concrete pour for the steps in the north stairwell is complete. Structural steel construction of the staircase at the end of the west wing is expected to be completed this week as well. (See photo at right.) The concrete pour for the steps in that stairwell will take place Friday or Tuesday, depending on weather.

CONSTRUCTION SITE WORK

Classes are out for the semester, but construction on the Hagfors Center continues. The work planned this week includes the following activities:

• 

  Partial street closure of 21st Avenue South. This week, 21st Avenue South will be closed to through traffic between South 6th and South 7th streets in order for McGough Construction to pour the floor of the skyway. The work is expected to continue until Friday, December 23, but the schedule is dependent on weather. The concrete work requires covering and heating the skyway 24 hours per day until the concrete is poured and cured. McGough Construction coordinated the timing of this work with Augsburg College and the City of Minneapolis, intentionally scheduling it during the holiday break to minimize impact on traffic and parking on campus. During the closure, appropriate signage will be set up. Vehicular traffic will be unable to drive through the closed area. However, safe sidewalk access on the east side of 21st Avenue will be maintained.

• Window frames and glass. Window frames continue to be installed this week. The window frames — and the mullion extensions that will be added in the future — add vibrant color to the Hagfors Center exterior. (See the photo at the right of the window frames being installed on the east side of the building.) Construction crews also will begin to set the window glass into the exterior windows this week.
• Precast exterior brick. Installation of the exterior brick precast panels continues on the west side of the north wing and will be completed in the area near the skyway on the east side of that wing this week, weather permitting. Once the precast panels are in place, construction crews will begin enclosing the space.
• Stairwells. Construction of the steel structure in the north stair will be completed this week, and work will begin on the west wing stair case, near 20th Avenue South.
• Roof work. The fourth-floor roof and the roof of the mechanical structure on the fourth level of the north wing will be installed this week, weather permitting. The work involves installing insulation, then rolling out the white, reflective roofing that is part of the LEED certification for the building.
• Interior wall framing. Installation of wall studs for the interior walls on the first level of the west wing continues this week. Wall framing for the exterior ring — the faculty offices and physics labs — on the first level of the north wing also begins this week.
• Fireproofing in the lobby. Fireproofing continues on the third level of the lobby area this week. This work requires that a minimum temperature be maintained. The plastic covering in the lobby area helps the construction crews heat the area to the required temperature for this work.

Next week, 21st Avenue South will be closed to through traffic between South 6th and South 7th streets in order for McGough Construction to pour the floor of the skyway.

The work is expected to begin early Monday, December 19, and continue through the week until late Friday, December 23, but the schedule is dependent on weather. The concrete work requires covering and heating the skyway 24 hours per day until the concrete is poured and cured. McGough Construction coordinated the timing of this work with Augsburg College and the City of Minneapolis, intentionally scheduling it during the holiday break to minimize impact on traffic and parking on campus.

During the closure, appropriate signage will be set up. Vehicular traffic will be unable to drive through the closed area. However, safe sidewalk access on the east side of 21st Avenue will be maintained.

Last week, members of the Augsburg Day Student Government joined McGough Construction and President Paul Pribbenow on the first student tour of the Hagfors Center site. See the photos below of them riding up in the skip-hoist elevator and checking out one of the upper levels of the building.

CONSTRUCTION SITE WORK

The final concrete floor pour within the building was complete last week. Exterior concrete pours — for stair stoops and sidewalks — will begin next spring or summer. Construction work this week includes the following activities:

• Window frames – a shot of color. Window frames will continue to be installed this week on the east side of the building — introducing the accent colors on the exterior of the building. The window frames will match the colors of the mullion extensions that will be added to the exterior windows in the future, a feature that adds vibrant color to the Hagsfor Center exterior.
• Roof work. Sections of the permanent roof will be installed this week, weather permitting. This work involves adding insulation to the vapor barrier previously installed, then rolling out the white, reflective roofing, which is part of the LEED certification for the building.
• Precast exterior brick. Installation of the exterior brick precast panels continues on the north side of the building and will  begin on the west side of the north wing this week. Construction crews will also begin interior and exterior caulking of the pre-cast panels this week.
• Fireproofing and wall framing in the lobby. Fireproofing continues on the second level of the lobby area this week, while crews lay out the steel stud wall framing on the third level.
• Interior wall framing. Wall studs for the interior walls on the first level of the west wing will begin to be installed this week. The layout of the interior spaces is beginning to take shape.
• North stair. Installation of the north stair, near South 6th Street on the north wing of the building, will continue this week, with the work continuing up to the second level.
• Partial street closure planned next week. McGough Construction is working with Augsburg College and the City of Minneapolis to close a portion of 21st Avenue South to through traffic next week — after classes end for the semester — to pour the floor of the skyway. The timing of this work is dependent on weather and involves covering and heating the skyway 24 hours per day until the concrete is poured and cured. The work is expected to take a week and was intentionally planned during the holiday break to minimize impact on traffic and parking on campus. McGough will work to maintain sidewalk access in the area during the project.

Last week there were thunderstorms (see photo, below). This week, snow. But construction of the Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion continues.

CONSTRUCTION SITE WORK

Construction work this week includes the following activities:

• Roofing vapor barrier. Construction crews have begun putting down the vapor barrier–a tar primer–on the roof of both wings. That work will be completed by mid-week. In roughly a month, the same vapor barrier will be applied to the roof of the lobby area and skyway. That work will be completed within a week’s time as well, weather permitting. We will provide an updated timeline after the lobby and skyway roof work are scheduled.
• Lobby roof. The final concrete pour for the lobby roof is scheduled this week.
• North stair. Installation of the north stair, near South 6th Street on the north wing of the building, is anticipated to begin this week.
• Precast exterior brick. Installation of the exterior brick precast panels continues and is scheduled to start on the north side of the building this week. Crews will also begin setting window frames into the exterior walls by the end of the week.
• Fireproofing. Fireproofing in the main lobby area continues this week. The area has been sealed off with plastic to maintain the required temperature for this work.
• Mechanical and electrical. Installation of mechanical and electrical works continues this week on all floors of the north wing.

Planned street closure after the end of the fall semester: During the holiday break, crews will close 21st Avenue South to through traffic between South 6th and South 7th streets to pour the floor of the skyway. The exact dates for this work are being affirmed and depend upon weather conditions.

The Hagfors Center Topping Off ceremony was held just before Thanksgiving, and the skyway structure was set in place the weekend after Thanksgiving. Following are details about those two activities as well as activities on the construction site this week.

Topping Off Ceremony

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Augsburg students, faculty, staff, and neighbors gathered outside the Hagfors Center construction site to watch the final beam being lifted into place as the culmination of the Topping Off ceremony for the building. The beam will be installed as part of the chapel roof on the third level of the main lobby area of the building. See the timelapse video and photos below of the ceremony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skyway Installation

On Saturday, November 26, construction crews set the steel structure for the skyway in place across 21st Avenue South, setting, aligning, and bolting the structure in place. The skyway is scheduled to be connected to the west side of Lindell Library after the spring semester is over. See pictures below of the skyway structure on the construction site, before installation, and across 21st Avenue South during installation.

Construction Site Work

The following activities are scheduled on the construction site this week:

• Precast exterior brick. Installation of the precast exterior brick continues on the east side of the building this week. Installation will begin on the north side after the east side is complete. (See photo at right.)
• Lobby roof and chapel floor. The concrete pour for the roof of the main lobby area and the floor of the suspended Gundale Chapel are scheduled this week.
• Fireproofing. The structural steel of the first level in the main lobby area will be sprayed with fireproofing this week.
• Mechanical and electrical installation. Crews continue the mechanical and electrical installation in the north wing this week.

On Tuesday, November 22, the Augsburg campus community and neighbors will gather to see the last beam being lifted into place on the building. The final beam will be the one signed by students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members at the April groundbreaking ceremony (see photo at right). Tuesday’s event, known as a Topping Off celebration, will begin at 11:30 a.m. Due to the weather forecast for November 22, the ceremony will begin in Hoversten Chapel and move to 21^st Avenue South, outside the main gate to the Hagfors Center construction site, to watch the beam being lifted into place. Portions of 21st Avenue South will be closed for this celebration.

CONSTRUCTION SITE WORK

Construction work this week includes the following activities:

• Skyway installation. The steel structure for the skyway is being built, in three sections, on the construction site (see image, below). The skyway is scheduled to be set across 21st Avenue South after Thanksgiving. The work of setting, aligning and bolting the skyway structure in place will begin on Friday, November 25 (contingent on weather), and may continue through Sunday, November 27. Portions of 21st Avenue South may be closed during this work. Notification of the weekend construction work on November 26 and 27 was posted to this site last week.
• Precast exterior brick. Installation of the precast exterior continues on the east side of the building this week (see image, below). The work will start on the north side of the building after the east side is complete.
• Third floor of the lobby. The concrete pour for the third-level floor of the lobby area is scheduled this week.

As part of the Hagfors Center construction project, a skyway is being installed over 21st Avenue South to connect the new building to Lindell Library. McGough Construction will be fabricating portions of the skyway structure on the construction site on Saturday and Sunday, November 19 and 20. All work on this day will be completed within the construction fence.

After Thanksgiving, McGough will set the skyway structure over 21st Avenue. This work is scheduled to begin on Friday, November 25 (contingent on weather) and may go through Sunday, November 27. It will involve the closure of  21st Avenue between South 6th and South 7th streets. Since the work will be completed on weekends, an after hours work permit is required from the City of Minneapolis. This notification is part of that permit process. Any complaint regarding this work can be received by Minneapolis Information and Services at 612-673-3000 or by dialing 311 on a phone with a 612 area code.

NOTE: Due to the weather forecast for Tuesday, November 22, the Topping Off ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. in Hoversten Chapel and move to the location near the construction site for viewing the final beam being lifted into place at the conclusion of the ceremony.

 

Augsburg College invites faculty, staff, students, and neighbors to the Hagfors Center Topping Off celebration at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 22. In building construction, a topping off ceremony is traditionally held when the last beam is placed atop a structure during its construction. It is one of the industry’s oldest customs and can be traced back a pre-Christian Scandinavian rite of placing a leafy branch from the tree used in construction on top a newly finished home so that the tree spirit would not be rendered homeless.  .

Augsburg’s Topping Off celebration will commence in the Chapel and then move to the area outside the main gate of the construction site at the intersection of 21st Avenue South and South 7th Street to watch the final construction beam — the one signed by students, faculty, staff, and guests at the April groundbreaking ceremony — being lifted into place at the top of the Gundale Chapel.

No registration is required. The event is free and open to the public. Add this event to my Google calendar.

The beam that was signed by faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members, will be the last beam installed on the Hagfors Center in the topping off ceremony, November 22, 2016.

The structure of the Gundale Chapel, which is suspended from the third-story roof of the Hagfors Center lobby, is taking shape. See the photos below showing the structural steel for the lobby and chapel. Additional photos are available on the Photo Gallery page.

Construction Site Work

Construction work this week includes the following:

• Suspended chapel and lobby. The structural steel for lobby roof and the chapel suspended from it are now visible. Final detailing of this steel will continue this week. Concrete pours on the second floor of the lobby area and the adjacent flexible classroom space are scheduled this week. In addition, the canopy columns, directly outside what will become the main door, have been poured, and the structural steel for the canopy will begin to be built this week.
• Skyway construction. The concrete pours for both skyway piers are complete. This week, construction crews will begin removing the glass and metal facade of the second and third levels of Lindell Library to prepare the structural connection for the skyway. The steel structure for the skyway itself will begin to be built, within the construction site, this week as well.
• Exterior precast brick siding. Installation of the precast brick shell enclosure will begin on the east side of the building this week. Crews will use the crawler crane on site for this work. Installation of the exterior precast will be completed in a matter of weeks, so, very soon, the interior of the building will no longer be visible from the street.
• Wall framing. Interior wall framing is underway on all floors of the north wing and prep work is starting for interior wall framing in the west wing.
• Construction elevator. The construction elevator on the north side of the building will be tested this week and then become operational for the movement of workers and materials to various building levels.

Upcoming parking restrictions on 21st Avenue South and South 7th Street: During the week of November 21 (Thanksgiving week) portions of 21st Avenue South and South 7th Street will be closed for the Topping Off celebration on Tuesday, November 22, and installation of the skyway over the Thanksgiving break.