Scaffolding Update

The workers have been working diligently to complete renovations and re-open a classroom (room 112) that has been put offline for the past several months in conjunction with the O’Brian Hall Roof Project.  The scaffolding in classroom 112 is scheduled to come down Monday night so this room will be usable at the beginning of the fall ’08 semester.

Scaffolding on the 2nd floor of the Law Library is scheduled to be taken down starting Tuesday (8/26) evening after the library closes at 5:00 p.m.  It will take a couple of days to complete this portion of the project.  The removal of the scaffolding will take place after 5:00 p.m. to minimize disruption to faculty, staff, and students.

New Computer Lab Computers

Koren AV Lab, originally uploaded by jmilles.

In recent years 85-90% of incoming law students have arrived at UB Law with laptop computers. About the same percentage have high-speed Internet access at home. The main use (but certainly not the only use) law students have made of the Law School’s computers has been to access the printers. Since the University rolled out wireless printing last year, the need for large numbers of lab computers has decreased.

Old lab computers

This fall the Law School is replacing the old Law Lab computers and reducing their number. We have just installed 15 new Dell computers in the Koren AV Center Lab. Later this fall, when the scaffolding is removed and the new computer desks arrive, eight of the new computers will be moved to the 3rd floor to be closer to the Reference Desk and the print collection. We continue to offer wireless computing and printing throughout the Law Library for laptop users. (The University’s wireless printing does not currently support Mac users. You will have to use the Lab computers for your printing needs at the Law School.)

Update from 8/13/08 Meeting

Work will begin to install the new skylight in the library on August 22nd.  This should only take one day to complete.

The hallway and classrooms on the second floor (by the student lounge) will be opened up on or before August 25th; the first day of classes.

The scaffolding will be broken down sometime during the first week of classes (August 25-29).  This work will be done after the library closes at 5:00 p.m. to allow for minimal disruption to the staff and students.  Cheri will send out an email to the 1st year law students letting them know that the scaffolding will still be in place during the first week of classes.

Since the semester will be in full bloom shortly, it has been asked that the Law Library be cleaned up significantly before the students return.  Attention needs to be paid to the carpets, stairwell, elevator, tables, and stacks.  The contractors will do their part to clean up after themselves and the University cleaning staff will be resposible for their regular duties and pay special attention to dusting and vacuuming the entire library.

Work is continuing to move forward on the 7th floor.  The stacks and carpets have been removed and the south side of the library has already been abated.  The workers are clearing out the north side and abatement of this side will continue over the next several weeks.

Law Library 4th Floor Soffit (South side)

The roofers have discovered a clogged drain on the 5^th floor roof.  In order to correct this problem, they will need to replace a piece of the drain pipe.  The easiest way for them to access the clogged pipe is through a soffit on the south side of the 4^th floor.  They have set up a small temporary work area (the area is covered with plastic) at this spot.  They will be cutting a hole in the wall and re-working the pipe in this area.  Once this has been completed, the hole will be filled with drywall and painted.  

I have been told that this will not create a lot of noise and should not disturb anyone on the 4^th floor.  Since the area of the wall they will be removing is drywall, and no fireproofing is in this area, there should not be an air quality concern.  This work area has already been set up and should be completed in approximately one week.

Law Library elevator not available Thurs. or Fri.

The Law Library elevator will not be functional on Thursday (7/17) or Friday (7/18 ).   The doors in the elevator lobby will be closed and plastic will cover this area as well as part of the Reading Room.  Access to the 2nd floor will be restricted from within the elevator so it will not stop on floor 2.  Most of the Reading Room will not be affected and patrons can study in this area if they choose to do so.  This portion of the project should not create a lot of extra noise in the Reading Room area.

You will be able to use the elevator to navigate floors 1, and 3 through 6, however.  Patrons are being asked to use the stairs by the Reading Room to access other floors within the library.  If a patron requires assistance moving to other floors within the library, they are asked to see a Law Library staff member.

Update from 7/2 meeting

• The NYS Bar Exam is scheduled for 7/29 and 7/30.  No construction work will take place on these days
• Asbestos abatement on the 5th floor is complete.  Will begin abatement on the 7th floor the first week in July
• Replacement of fireproofing on the 5th floor will begin next Monday (July 7) or Tuesday (July 8)
• Removal of the 5th floor roof has taken place.  Workers are now in the process of replacing foam and concrete in this area
• Abatement of first floor classrooms has begun
• The water shut down originally scheduled for today (July 2) has been pushed back to next Tuesday (July 8) at 5:00 PM until Wednesday (July 9) at 6:00 AM

No water in O’Brian Hall after 5:00 PM Wednesday (7/2)

A water shutdown is scheduled for O’Brian Hall on Wednesday, July 2, 2008 at 5:00 PM until Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 6:00 AM. 

DO NOT use the restrooms in O’Brian Hall as they will not be functional after 5:00 PM on Wednesday.  Please use the closest functional restrooms, which are located in Baldy Hall.

Our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.  Thank you for your continued patience as the on-campus construction projects continue to move forward.

Project Update

Good morning, folks:

The next intrusive phase of the roof project begins later today and will continue through Thursday (weather permitting).  Concrete for the skim coating on the second-, third- and fifth-floor patios will be pumped up from trucks on Founder’s Plaza and then will be smoothed and graded by a crew of very efficient workers, I’ve been assured.   The work shouldn’t be overwhelmingly noisy but there will be a significant amount of activity (dangerous for those of us who are easily distracted by commotion outside their windows).

The work will start on the second- and third-floor patios today; the busiest period for the fifth-floor patio will probably be Wednesday and Thursday.  I have asked that any noisy work stop for the lunch period on Thursday, the 26th, between 12:30 and 2:00 to allow for the best environment for Professor Goldstein’s joint Baldy Center/Law School-hosted presentation on his book, The Patent Lie (see http://www.law.buffalo.edu/baldycenter/pdfs/GoldsteinFlyer.pdf for more info).

The good news about this is that O’Brian’s foundation should be much less stressed (it’s a wonder we haven’t floated off our moorings).  The material being installed this week is lightweight concrete (mixed with Perlite).  The foreman for the general contractor said 335 tons of concrete and stone was removed from the fifth-floor patio space in the last few weeks (he knows because he had to pay the bill to have it hauled away).  The new material being installed will return a small fraction of that weight to the structure while supplying better insulating and waterproofing factors.

And even better news — rainy weather aside, they are ahead of schedule on most phases of the project.  The abatement contractors on the second floor should have completed their work within the next two weeks which means that hallway will be reopened (while work continues inside the second-floor classrooms).  Please let me know if you have any questions.

best,

Cheri

June 18th Meeting Update From Cheri

A few notes for inhabitants who continue to insist on coming to work in O’Brian even though they’re making it increasingly difficult to enter (and exit) the building:

1. by Friday of this week, the two south doors on the main portico entrance (facing Putnam Way at the southeast corner of the building) should be available again.  Unfortunately, the other two doors (including the one with the paddle-controlled handicap access) will remain unavailable for many more weeks of the Founder’s Plaza renovation.  Which brings us to:
2. long-promised signs will be installed by the end of the week directing visitors to the entrance on the northwest corner of the building, especially helpful for disabled persons who cannot use stairs or who require the paddle-controlled doors
3. beginning next week, more padding will be installed in the library elevator to protect the interior while heavy-duty construction materials are brought down from the seventh floor between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.  (9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on Wednesdays, and all weekend).  This additional padding will be removed each morning.  Again, it’s not a good idea to plan to use this elevator in the evening while the contractors are using it for materials transportation.  You never know what you’re going to run into.
4. since demolition of the seventh floor has begun, the sixth floor is the new roof of O’Brian.  Given the dramatic weather of the past few days, there may be water entering this area.  Please report to me immediately any signs of seepage in order to have the carpeting/walls/offices cleaned promptly to prevent long-term damage.
5. as bad as that sounds, know that we made out immeasurably better than the Student Activities Center.  If you look out your window you will see the green metal roof of SAC covered in small white dots.  It’s not that the hail hasn’t melted — it’s that each white dot represents an attempt by University Facilities to cover the more than 5,000 holes that were punched through the metal sheeting by the hailstorm.  The damage in SAC has been catastrophic. 

What’s that smell?

Over the next 5+ working days (depending on cooperation of the weather), the workers will begin removing the old roof and installing the new roof on the 5th floor (right above us). This process will be done in sections, in other words, they will only remove as much as they can replace in that same day. During this process there may be some odor creeping into the building. They are using a “low odor VOC solvent”, which has the less offensive odor but I am sure that it will still smell some.

Air quality levels will continue to be tested both inside and outside the building and we will be alerted immediately if there is any cause for concern