Groundbreaking for the building project is fast approaching. With our ceremony scheduled for June 4th, we wanted to share a timeline for some upcoming construction and relocation activities that will be taking place over the summer months.
Throughout May, preparations have been progressing for the relocation of the library to Birge-Carnegie, with additional books being sent to Robarts and to storage (see Library FAQ for the latest updated information on the library move and closure dates). Library books will begin to be moved the week of May 21st and these relocations will continue through early June. In early June, library staff will be relocated to the new Birge-Carnegie space across the street in Vic. All library mail will continue to be delivered to the library staff and the library collections via inter-office mail.
At the end of May, staff, faculty and visitors who are relocating will be moving to temporary offices on the third floor of 90 Wellesley, which is just steps behind 39 Queen’s Park. Two student journals and the student moot committee also move to 90 Wellesley. The staff moves to 90 Wellesley are tentatively scheduled for the week of May 27th, and direct communications from the Dean’s Office with those moving will continue throughout May. We are ensuring that those relocating to 90 Wellesley will continue to have mail delivered to their new offices via our inter-office mail delivery system.
Also in late May, SJD students with offices in the Upper Library will be relocated to a dedicated SJD study room on the second floor of Birge-Carnegie.
Some preliminary site work will also take place in May. These activities must be completed prior to any demolition. As noted in a previous email, during the week of May 13th, asbestos abatement will occur under the Moot Court. In addition, the Central Network Services (CNS) node will be moved from the basement storage area of the Bora Laskin Law Library to its new home in the basement of Flavelle House. There will not be any disruptions to internet service during the move.
At the end of May, the building construction site will start to take shape. You will see hoarding (the plywood walls surrounding construction sites) start to go up in order to ensure the safety of the site. Plywood hoarding will surround the site from the corner of the Rowell Room out to Queen’s Park and south all the way to Hoskin and the entrance to Philosopher’s Walk.
You should have just received an invitation to our official groundbreaking on June 4th, and we hope that you will be able to attend this important event. The groundbreaking will take place just off Philosopher’s Walk near the back of the existing Moot Court. Those events will be followed by Convocation which is on June 7th. The Convocation events will take place in their usual location on the back lawn. Once again, we look forward to seeing you there. After our Convocation festivities are complete, a chain link fence will be added to the site, stretching from the entrance to Philosopher’s Walk, up the lower asphalt path on the west side of the Laskin Library and dividing the concrete stair at the rear of Flavelle in two. The fence will bisect the upper courtyard but leave the rear door to Flavelle accessible throughout construction. The front entry to Flavelle House will also be accessible throughout construction. The entrance on the east side of the site, at the south end of the Upper Rotunda, will not be accessible once the hoarding is in place.
A map of the construction site is available here (PDF)
Once the site is secured for the start of demolition, tree protection will go up around all of the plantings we are able to preserve on site. A number of trees have already been replanted but a few trees must be removed. We have a comprehensive plan for trees and landscape on the site. The construction manager will then work with a range of service providers to secure all of the services to the building (electrical, mechanical, water and waste). Services to Flavelle will remain in place throughout construction.
Demolition is scheduled to begin at the end of June. This will be one of the most disruptive phases of the project, as it involves the complete demolition of the Moot Court, the demolition of a significant portion of the Bora Laskin Law Library, and the removal of the exterior skin of the Library. The construction manager is planning to divert 95% of the demolition waste away from landfill, in keeping with our sustainability objectives for the project.
By mid-September, demolition should be complete and the project will move to its next phase, which will involve the excavation of the site and the construction of the substructure for the new building.
Please note that Falconer will not be affected and will be used throughout construction for all of its present uses - classes, workshops, Faculty Council, student services, book store and faculty offices. We are still working with the Office of Space Management to finalize our curriculum, and we anticipate that we will have a class schedule available in the next month. Once the class schedule is finalized, we will have maps available on our website to show the locations of all of the classrooms.
We are doing our best to plan in advance in order to minimize disruption and maintain our sense of community through the construction. If you have any suggestions or questions, please do not hesitate to ask. We will continue to provide regular updates by email and on our website as the project progresses.
It is exciting for the Faculty of Law to finally be at this important juncture in its history.
