As the oldest building on campus, Thompson Hall is considered an icon, symbolically representing the University of New Hampshire on everything from student sweatshirts to official university letterhead. It is such an important historical structure that in 1996, the National Register of Historic Places added it to the official national list of cultural resources worthy of preservation and protection. When the hall was originally constructed between 1892 and 1893, it was the only building on the recently relocated UNH campus. When the university grew too large for the building, the campus expanded and Thompson Hall began to take on many different uses, which ultimately compromised the structure and original layout of the building.
Through the years, Thompson Hall has housed a post office, a woman’s gymnasium and classrooms. In the early days, a couple of students lived in the bell tower. Now, the hall houses the highest level of the administration, including the president and vice presidents of the school, and the most visible offices on campus.
Yet, despite its rich history and important presence, the structure has not had a major exterior restorative effort since it was built. UNH had been saving funds and planning the $5 million refurbishment of its iconic structure since 1998, with the repair and renovation funds coming from sources independent of the operating costs of the university. By 2004, the building was in desperate need of repair and updating. After a successful $5.3 million independent fundraising campaign, the university finally had the means to restore the icon.
Because of its visual and historic importance to the school, Thompson Hall stood to be a very signification restoration project. Any mistakes or drastic material changes would most likely be met with student, faculty and public resentment and condemnation, which would result in project failure. The project would be even more difficult because it was critical that the building remain open during renovation with minimal disruption to its occupants.
The project team of architecture firm Goody Clancy and construction management firm Shawmut Design and Construction – both based in Boston – frequently had worked together and had a proven track record of successful, high-profile renovations. Although the project was not technically challenging, it tested the team’s talents and abilities to develop a creative and effective plan to keep the lines of communication with occupants open at all times to ease the usual frustrations of trying to work normally within a renovation site.
Project Scope
The team was commissioned to clean and repoint the brick façade, reinforce the structural integrity of the building, replace the slate roof and copper filings, restore the clock tower, clock face and weather vane, replicate and replace original stained-glass windows and replace the rest of the windows with energy-efficient alternatives. The team and the school collaborated with the New Hampshire Historical Commission to ensure that work complied with all regulations, while restoring the building with the highest standard of quality. Materials as close to the originals were used to maintain the building’s historical accuracy and look. When the checkered brick could not be found, Shawmut contracted a masonry company to determine how the brick was made and manufacture new bricks.
Many academic renovations are completed during the summer, leaving buildings empty for major demolitions and students and faculty unaware of the chaos that occurs in their absence. For Thompson Hall, this was not the case. Although most of the work on the building was on its exterior, occupants would be affected by the noise, the window replacements and exterior staging. Prior to construction, the team planned to take a few simple precautions and implement some programs to ensure success, including communicating with occupants prior to and during construction.
Constant Communication
Even before the first construction vehicle arrived on campus, the project team and university facilities office called a meeting and invited all the occupants of Thompson Hall to discuss the project. This first step was pivotal in terms of reassuring school employees that their work environments would be taken into account throughout the project’s duration.
“Communication was key to the success of the project,” according to Brenda Whitmore, UNH’s facilities construction project manager. “Shawmut and Goody Clancy engaged the occupants of Thompson Hall, making sure that they were made to feel as if they were important members of the process. Once they were brought into it, the occupants went to any lengths possible to make the project successful for all.”
Goody Clancy’s Director of Preservation, Lisa Howe, agreed. “Thompson Hall was a truly unique project,” she said. “It was the involvement of the entire team, from the architects, engineers, contractors and building occupants, including the university president, that made this project such a success.”
Several means of communication were utilized during the duration. A project Web site was created to keep all affected parties informed at all times. Updated weekly, the site provided an outline of the construction schedule for up to three weeks in advance, color-coded plans detailing the schedule of window replacements and temporary office relocations, important news and notices and a project photo log so occupants could see and understand what was going on behind the construction curtain. The project team was surprised at how frequently university officials utilized the Web site. “One week, I had decided not to update the photos because nothing really interesting had been done that week,” explained Trish Palmiere, project manager for Shawmut. “I had so many people coming up to me asking, ‘Where are the new photos? What’s going on?’ I never made that mistake again.”
The open communication policy did not stop with the Web. The project team members made an effort to personally introduce themselves to all the occupants, often stopping to answer questions and field concerns. “We knew all of the occupants by name,” Palmiere said. “They knew all of us, and most of the subs working on their floors. We became friends.”
The cordial working relationships were further enhanced by two barbecue picnics, held so workers and occupants could socialize. “Those picnics were so well-received by everyone who attended,” Whitmore said. “Everyone had a great time and it really opened up the lines of communication. After the first picnic, I noticed a significant increase in the interactions between the construction workers and the occupants. It was the first time I saw everyone get along on a worksite like that.”
Execution Adjustments
On the construction side, the project team utilized tactics to help the project run smoothly and make the construction environment as accommodating as possible. At commencement, the building was wrapped in staging material – scaffolding and ramps for access – which allowed the construction team to move from one section to another without disturbing meetings going on inside. The staging also allowed for two entrances on either side of the building so that occupants would not be limited to one exit and would have more convenient access to the building. Another tricky logistical piece of the puzzle was maintaining proper fire egress at all times during the construction, and making sure to continually update occupants of weekly egress changes in advance to avoid creating an unsafe working environment.
The window replacement project was the most intrusive part of the process. It involved interior intrusion, because entire windows had to be removed for two or more days, so a phasing plan was developed to inform staff of when their windows would be replaced and where they were to be temporarily moved to limit disruption. The plans were divided into understandable color-coded zones and date schedules were given to each zone to let the staff know when they would need to pack, which days they needed to vacate the office and when they would be allowed back in. The plans were posted on the floors, discussed in monthly meetings and posted on the Web so everyone would know in advance when their offices would become work zones. The occupants were very accommodating, sharing work space and planning summer vacations during their office’s week of window replacements.
Shawmut and Goody Clancy were dedicated to informing occupants and officials of all project phases and worked with UNH’s facilities department to help get the word out about the schedule. The careful advanced scheduling and the clear, accurate communication resulted in a successful restoration and good relationships – and friendships – among the occupants, school officials, project team staff and construction workers.
