To meet current and future demands for increased electrical capacity, Weill Cornell will construct a fifth electric service below the North Courtyard on York Avenue.
There are a considerable number of major renovation projects currently under way throughout the Medical College, with more in the planning stages. The aging of our physical plant—coupled with the phenomenal programmatic growth during the past decade—has necessitated major upgrades of facilities and infrastructure to maintain proper support of the research, educational and clinical missions.
To ensure that the Weill Cornell community is kept informed about major construction and renovation projects, the Dean's Bulletin will periodically publish "project updates."
Fifth Electric Service
In order to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for electrical power to operate modern research equipment, the dramatic expansion in the number of office and laboratory computers, and to support the heating and cooling systems in its buildings, the Medical College urgently needs to expand its electrical capacity.
To accomplish this, a new "switchgear" room will be constructed to support a "fifth electrical service" into the 1300 York Ave. buildings. (This will augment the existing four switchgear services that currently serve the buildings.)
The switchgear room will be constructed under the North Courtyard on York Avenue (below the current garden between the A and B buildings). To access this area, the entire courtyard must be excavated to a depth of about 30 feet. Although this construction may generate considerable noise and dust, Weill Cornell's Office of Facilities Development will do everything it can to minimize these conditions. In order to remove debris, hoist equipment and deliver supplies, there may also be periodic sidewalk closings to ensure pedestrian safety.
The excavation is expected to begin in late October 2003, and the entire project will take approximately eight or nine months. The Dean's Bulletin will provide additional details as they become available.
There may be some inconveniences to the Weill Cornell community during the upcoming periods of major renovation and construction. Faculty, staff and students may call the project manager assigned to particular projects if they are experiencing any difficulty as a result of one of the major renovation or construction projects. The main office number for Facilities Development is (212) 746-4700.
Photo by Weill Cornell Art & Photo.