The Prior Performing Arts Center

perhaps there will be multiple floors below ground for various purposes ?

The college says this is the view from Hogan.  This is the west elevation fronting on the road between Hogan and Hart.  As one can see from the sunrise in the east, HC students are late-nite owls.



The college says this is the view from Figge,  Hogan (and Easy St. (unseen)) is off to the right.



I think this is the southwest corner.  McCarthy Lane extended would be near the only tree you see, and Hart/Luth would be out-of-frame right.  The main entrance is image left.



I think the proscenium stage is at the south end of the PPAC, and this is where the 'mining  for precious ore' is occurring.   I did not expect this, or any other major 'room' in the PPAC, to be buried so deep.  There is a horizontal window band at the back of the stage, at the top.  I have no idea how this glass may affect the acoustics.

 I say that this is the location of the stage because at the north end, ......



is this dance studio.  Note the top floor terrace, with a powerful view of Woostah.

The contractor has begun pouring concrete for the foundation for the northern half of the PPAC. The deepest part of the site is so deep the webcam can't see what is happening there. My guess is that part is where the elevators and emergency stairwell will be located. Given that there is a crane on site. the elevators and stairwell will be encased in a concrete core, which will rise to full height before the rest of the building. These cores are dictated by changes to building code after 9/11.
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Separately, from watching the women's soccer game yesterday, a construction fence has been erected along the roadside edge of the plaza and landscaping on the east side of the field house at Luth.

Buried beneath much of this space are large concrete tanks used to detain stormwater runoff; these controls are required by the city to reduce flooding. Don't know whether these are not working as designed, or if the college intends using the surface area for something else.

The plaza should stay because the principal emergency egress doors for the 5-6,000 people attending an event in the field house open onto the plaza,

Also the practice football/soccer field to the north of Smith stadium had what looked to be several construction flags planted in it.  The high pressure natural gas pipeline runs through part of this area.  Is the pipeline being relocated, perhaps away from the proposed site for the new Jesuit residence on/near Avon St.?

Rob, if you really want to feel like you are there, go to the campus webcams - there are 4 of them.

Click on any of the four and you can then enlarge the picture full screen.

www.holycross.edu/webcams

the airport is just off to the north on the Jo cam... it would be nice if these cams could have a panning capability; perhaps cycling left and right at short intervals    

The early sunlight is marvelous on all four camera shots

Article in the current Worcester Business Journal reports that the PPC is on schedule to be finished in the fall of 2021, and student use of the PPC will start with the spring semester, CY 2022.

Looking at the webcam, the big long tractor (black cab) trailer is carrying forms and staging material for the walls, and apparently the floors.  It appears that the floors will be concrete poured into forms, and not concrete poured over a sheet steel mat as was done at The Jo.

I am not sure there will be much steel in this building.  Some months back, before construction, the chair of the BoT  said bidding contractors were having difficulty pricing the job because there was little/no experience in New England in forming the concrete to create some of the shapes called for in the design.

Steel is acoustically inferior to concrete, and is apt to reflect unwanted sounds, while concrete is apt to absorb them.

See also:
www.jeacoustics.com/library/ConSpec_Apr90_Concert_Halls.pdf

I have not seen them digging for those.  Its probably too early.  I will have to check the drawings for Luth to see where the utility lines run at the top of the hill.  My recollection is that the water and electrical lines ran along the west side of the Hart, by the rink.  The electrical line runs toward Wheeler.  For The Jo, the utility lines appear to run from the NE corner of the building down the slope to the courtyard for Wheeler.  

PP, just curious, do you know the type of trees planted in the new parking lot and those adjacent to the Luth? Curious to know how big they'll get.

Many thanks. Some larger trees to break up and soften the view of the Luth would be nice.

It looks like there are two buildings. There's the one where the concrete is now being poured, then it looks like there's a break and then another smaller foundation. There's probably an easy explanation--do both these works in progress belong to the Prior?