March: We’re watertight!

By Jessica Schultz

In March our building became watertight. The final framing was completed on the window installation. Final layers of plywood sheathing and recycled PolyIso insulation were added over the entire shell of building by Wilcox Builders. Vapor, ice and watershield barriers were installed under and over the insulation layers. The timelapse video below, gives a sense of the layer after layer that was applied to the outside. Overall there are 6 layers in our building shell (before the roof and siding). Check out this time-lapse video to see the installation of this work.

January-March, 2016
The final layers (minus the roof and siding) are added to our building envelope:

Inside, staining was completed throughout the building. A white wash on the tongue and groove walls, and a light stain on the timber frame and wood trusses making the interior come alive. Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems were hung between the trusses and rough duct work was started from room to room. Rough plumbing work in the bathrooms and basement was completed by Dobbart Plumbing.

We began conversations with folks who will likely be our water system operators to understand how our system will be operationalized and monitored under MA DEP regulations once it is installed. We needed their review on the plans engineered by Burro Happold to incorporate small changes in the actual installed design to ensure smooth operation once the water begins flowing.

Back at the office, we have been busy working on further refinements to our exhibit plan that will guide displays in our visitors’ center, ecotone, and crossover spaces. We promise not to miss the bathrooms as an opportunity to educate about decomposition! Discussions also focused on our building dashboard, to be designed by a team lead by Linnean Solutions. The dashboard will provide visitors (and us as a staff) with detailed knowledge about how our building functions – how much energy it is producing and using as an example.

Jessica Schultz is Communication and Capital Project Coordinator for the Hitchcock Center. She guides on-going media relations, website and social media, publications, marketing planning and photography. She also supports the Executive Director and building committee in planning for a new environmental learning center.

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