The Blackstone Project
Overview and Project Objectives
With the acquisition of the Blackstone steam plant in April 2003, UOS also obtained approximately 87,000 square feet of space in eight closely integrated buildings (unrelated to the steam plant) on the site. The facilities were previously owned and used by NSTAR (formerly the Cambridge Electric Light Company) as a service center (offices, workshops, warehousing, and staff support facilities) for the electric and steam utility businesses. The buildings were constructed between 1888 and 1929, and little capital investment has been made during the past 40 years. The buildings included in this project do not include the former NSTAR Switch House, which is located on a separate parcel.
UOS currently occupies space at several locations on the periphery of the campus in Cambridge and Allston, and some departments have been forced to relocate several times during the past four years to accommodate University construction projects. Shortly after acquiring Blackstone, UOS conducted modest renovations of approximately 15,000 square feet of building space. In June 2003, the UOS Facilities Maintenance and Engineering and Utilities Departments relocated to Blackstone, allowing UOS to vacate leased space in Allston.
The prior use of these buildings as a utility service center is well suited to the service functions and needs of UOS. Additionally, experience since the relocation of FMO and E&U and a recent review of UOS administrative functions, strongly indicates that there would be significant benefits if UOS consolidated operations at Blackstone. These improvements would result in improved coordination of services, greater administrative efficiency, and reduced overhead costs.
The overall plan will be in two phases. Phase I will include the program planning, survey and documentation of existing conditions, architect selection, and the feasibility study. Assuming favorable results, and necessary approvals, Phase II will include design development, preparation of construction documents, bidding and contractor selection, construction and relocation.
The project plan for Phase II will be developed as part of the planning and feasibility analysis.
Scope of Work
The Phase I project will include the following scope of work:
UOS Program and Space Analysis
In order to evaluate the feasibility of consolidation of UOS operations at Blackstone, it will be necessary to develop a detailed understanding of the space requirements of current and future programs for each UOS department. In addition, it is likely that consolidation of UOS operations at Blackstone will produce savings from the streamlining of administrative and support functions currently necessary to support the decentralized units. This work will be a combination of physical space and organizational planning that will examine the service and support activities of all UOS departments, interdependence of these units, and the need for physical proximity.
Facilities Condition and Structural Assessment
The buildings on the Blackstone site range in age from 75 to 114 years. The prior owners made little capital investment in these facilities during the past several decades. Although the buildings are fundamentally sound, any capital project to renovate the space will need to address the inevitable degradation of the building envelopes (roofs, exterior, windows) and systems (HVAC, electrical, elevators, etc.) This work will be a capital needs assessment of the building infrastructure to determine which components will need to be replaced or undergo substantial capital renewal.
Facilities Design and Feasibility
The primary deliverable for Phase I will be a detailed plan for the design of the Blackstone building space. This work will incorporate the results of the UOS organizational program and space analysis and the facilities condition assessment in a comprehensive design plan with a detailed cost estimate and implementation schedule. The facilities plan will also incorporate key elements of sustainable design to minimize the negative environmental impacts of waste generation, energy consumption, use of construction materials and processes, and building operations. UOS will leverage the experience gained in employing sustainable design and construction practices at Blackstone as a model for use in future Harvard projects.
Regulatory Analysis and Community Issues
The feasibility of any plans by UOS for the use and renovation of space at Blackstone will require careful review and analysis of Cambridge zoning regulations, special permit requirements, potential historic preservation requirements, and current community relations issues. This work will include developing a compliance template for potential uses of the space, which will be used to inform the project team as specific plans are developed. This work will also include developing a detailed regulatory approval strategy as part of the completion of the Phase I feasibility study and design proposal.
Project Team & Responsibilities
The core project team for Phase I will be as follows:
- Thomas Vautin will serve as the Client Executive, with overall project responsibility.
- The UOS Directors (Douglas Garron, Joseph Griffin, Paul Malagrifa, Mary Maloley, John Nolan, Leith Sharp and Jeffrey Smith) will function as the core Client Project Working Group, and will have an active role in the program planning component of the project. It is anticipated that during the course of this work UOS will identify multiple opportunities for organizational changes and this group will be responsible for developing proposed solutions to be incorporated in the feasibility study.
- George Oommen of Harvard Real Estate Services will serve as the overall Project Manager for UOS. George will staff the Client Project Working Group to ensure timely decisions as required to enable completion of the feasibility study.
- Alexandra Jacobson Offiong of Harvard Planning + Allston Initiative will serve as the primary coordinator for regulatory and community issues. In this role, she will be the interface for all project activities with City agencies. Tom Lucey, Director of Community Relations is responsible for coordination with the community.
Contact Us
Please send any questions, comments or suggestions regarding this project to the Blackstone Project Team.
