Whatever Is That Construction at COM?

As the students of Boston University break into the fall semester, the Turner Construction Company has been breaking into terrier ground to complete the new Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering, prompting many students to ask, “what’s happening to COM?”

The only small signage of what the construction will be 

The $150 million new building construction will bring together life scientists, engineers, and physicians from the Charles River and Medical Campuses, according to BU Facilities Management and Planning. However, this is a fact, a chunk of the student population is unaware of.

To most students last spring, this now construction site, was simply the Morse Auditorium parking lot. For some it is still just that. When asked if she knew what this new addition to Commonwealth Avenue construction was, senior Madeline McGill, asked, “Nope, think it might be like a parking lot?”

 

A look inside through the scaffolding path

McGill is not the only student who is uniformed of what is occurring in a central portion of BU’s campus. Freshmen Dante Sciento and Benson Cherian both had stating they had no idea what the construction was for. But Sciento added, “but this is what city is to me, construction.”

 

A side view of the construction site currently covering a portion of the COM building

The construction is currently covering a portion of the College of Communications building prompting some students to believe the construction is COM based. Senior Carley Mirvis questioned, “I want to say the COM building is doing something?” While first year graduate student, Ify Onochie observed, “It kind of looked like they were extending the building for COM.” Freshman Matthew Dyer was on the same page when asked what the construction was up to, “Presumably renovation on COM?” he asked.

Not only are students unaware of what the construction’s purpose is some find it has reduced the green space on campus. Sophomore Sarah Zeisler, who presumed the construction was a new parking lot stated, “People in COM like to hang out on the COM lawn which is half gone now, so it’s a little sad.” Senior McGill felt the same way stating, “I think its disruptive it reduces the green space on campus that there is already so little of and that was kind of a cool place to hang out.”

 

The construction site from a bird’s eye view, previously a BU parking lot

When complete, The Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering (CILSE), located at 610 Commonwealth Avenue, will be nine-story, state-of-the-art research facility.

Hayley Branchford, a biomedical engineering sophomore in the College of Engineering, was fully aware of what the construction, learning about the construction from her professors.  “We don’t have a space for the life science and biomedical engineering programs to collaborate, so it will be nice to have the facilities and equipment they need for collaborating and research” stated Branchford.

Branchford also stated that most students do not know what is happening right on their campus, “A lot of people don’t know what it is because half of COM lawn is gone right now, I just I know because of my engineering professors.”

 

Morse Auditorium angle of the construction company equipment

If you are one of these students here are some quick facts from BU Facilities Management and Planning:

• ·      The center was designed by Payette and is currently under construction by the Turner Construction Company.
• ·      It will be a 170,000-square-foot building will include neuroscience research, systems/synthetic biology research, a satellite vivarium, and a cognitive neuroimaging center.
• ·      For those who will continue their walk to class under a scaffolding path with hopes that the COM green space will soon be resorted, put those hopes on hold for now. The construction completion will not be until Spring 2017.

Perhaps it is time for a larger sign to inform students that COM will not be receiving a new extension.  Additionally it may be time for professors, other than those in the College of Engineering, to inform students of what is occurring on their home away from home.

A student’s walk to class through the scaffolding

A noisy stroll through construction scaffolding