Photos by Robert Jamieson
The unusually dry autumn may have wreaked havoc on gardens and lawns in the region, but it has been a boon for construction crews at the Annenberg Public Policy Center building site. On November 1, the first two panels of concrete were poured for the east wall of the new building.
Bulk excavation of the site is three-quarters complete. Installation of the deep foundation along the 36th Street walkway, necessary to protect the existing subway tunnel, is finished.
Because the foundation of the new APPC building will be lower than the adjacent AnnenbergSchool for Communication, workers are excavating beneath the school along its east wall and pouring concrete underpinnings which will stabilize the existing foundation as work continues at APPC. Work on the underpinning piers is nearing the halfway mark.
Asked what surprised him most about the ongoing excavation, Hunter Roberts project supervisor Allan Hurt said it has been the lack of surprises. “I’ve done a lot of work in the city and this is some of the cleanest urban material [dirt] I’ve ever seen.” He attributes that to the lack of previous construction on the property.