January 11, 2008

Down time: Clinics, Tilton and VBK buildings pass into history

Before this month, much of the demolition of the Clinics, Vincent Burnham Kennedy (VBK) and Tilton buildings had occured behind the scenes. But now, passersby can see a dramatic change, as the demolition of the front façade of the Clinics Building has begun. The three buildings currently are being demolished to prepare the site for construction of a new, 530,000-square-foot clinical facility — the Building for the Third Century (B3C) — that is scheduled to be completed in 2011.

Most of the demolition of the front side of the Clinics Building will occur during weekends. For safety reasons, several parking and traffic changes will be in effect for portions of the day during these weekends. MGHers, patients and visitors should note that Fruit Street temporarily will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic for part of these days, and weekend day-shift employees driving to work will be directed to park in specified garages by Boston or MGH police. The latest parking and traffic changes will be available to employees through broadcast e-mails prior to each weekend and will be available online at the B3C website at www.massgeneral.org/building3c as well as on the MGH website at www.massgeneral.org by clicking "Construction Updates."

Construction teams are safely demolishing the buildings from the top down. Workers are using a heavy-duty, high-reach excavator to remove portions of the building floor by floor rather than imploding the building, which is not an option due to its proximity to other structures. By the end of January, all but the first floor of the Clinics Building will have been removed. By March, the Tilton Building will be completely dismantled, followed by the VBK's complete demolition by May.

Working with several independent monitoring consultants, the MGH has taken extra steps to ensure that the hospital's environment of care is carefully maintained during the demolition. All construction activity is closely supervised and conducted in compliance with federal and state standards, as well as industry best practices. Members of the Thrive B3C Operations Group have coordinated with MGH colleagues and their consultants to prevent and minimize possible disturbances to hospital operations.

MGH unit supervisors are encouraged to report any construction-related concerns to the MGH Buildings and Grounds Call Center at any time of day at (617) 726-2422. For general information about the B3C, contact Denise Palumbo, RN, MSN, executive director of Radiology and director of B3C Operations Planning, at dpalumbo@partners.org.