UMASS Boston SDQD Project, Boston, MA

Project Value Range: $17 million - $19 million

Select Demo was contracted by a construction management/general contracting firm to perform the complete take down and abatement of an 800,000 SF, 100 foot tall science building, a pool building, the plaza and garage structures that were all in close proximity to other active buildings on the UMASS Boston Campus. Select’s scope required an extensive building separation that aligned with the face of the building scheduled to remain, which made this process a structural challenge. Due to the condition of the plaza and garage, Select was not allowed to place anything on the slabs without detailed engineering and shoring. Asbestos mastic was present behind the brick façade in some areas, and those areas were carefully stripped using high reach excavators. The material was then bulk loaded and disposed of as asbestos under a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued Nontraditional Work Plan. The balance of brick, concrete and CMU (approximately 100 tons) was crushed to 3” minus and was then left on site to be used as backfill. Selective demolition was required to create new opening in the Clark, Quinn and Healy Buildings. Delicate hand separation of building components was necessary to separate the existing pool building from the Clark Athletic Center, which remained. Select’s scope also included: the removal of pavers and trees; lower level slab saw-cutting; selective removal of all interior casework and fixed furniture elements; the removal of heavy piping within the existing garage; the management and erection of shoring systems throughout; the demolition of the slab on grade for new under-ground piping and a new MSE wall; elevator decommissioning; the dismantlement and separation of three existing pedestrian bridges that connected the Science Building to the Wheatly, McCormack and Healy Buildings; and the removal of a post-tension elevated slab. This project is part of UMASS Boston’s $155 million Substructure, Science Center, Pool Building & Plaza Demolition & Quadrangle Project, which is the signature component of the university’s physical transformation in its 25-year Campus Master Plan.