Winter Weather Does Not Stop BAC From Building School of the Future

Cambridge, Massachusetts is the home of Harvard University, one of America’s oldest educational institutions — but now the city can also boast about an innovative new school for younger students, constructed with an eye to the future by BAC craftworkers. The Tobin Montessori School building is designed for Net Zero Emissions, and projected for LEED platinum certification — a global recognition of the builders’ commitment to sustainability. Alongside 70 geothermal wells and a massive solar canopy, the building features extensive work by BAC members. 

“This is a high-profile job, as the city of Cambridge replaces and updates crumbling schools,” said Local 3 Massachusetts/Maine/ New Hampshire/Rhode Island President Chuck Raso. “From waterproofing, which is largely invisible but absolutely essential to a building’s longevity, to the brick exterior facade, to the patterned tiles that kids will enjoy every day for generations to come, BAC members got the job done.”

The building’s multi-hued exterior included 2,000 square feet of brick-faced precast panels, 220 tons of New England-blend stone veneer, 230,000 wire-cut Norman brick, and 70,000 smooth Norman brick, along with inside- and outside-angled brick and three different colors of mortar.

The masons faced a significant challenge: much of their exterior work was done during the New England winter. The cold was not the only issue, as the weather added time-consuming tasks. 

Foreman Nelson Silva, a five-year BAC member, said, “We were working through the winter on the exterior, so we had to set up a lot of winter protection. Most of the Hydro Mobile scaffolds had to be tented in and secured to the structural steel.”

As a result, he said, “Scaffold erection and set-up took quite a bit of time with the extra supports on the Hydro Mobile.” But it was a critical part of the job, because “we had to set everything up to be to spec for the masons to be able to work, to try and maintain 40 degrees for the material, and also the mortar, so it didn’t freeze.”

Despite the fact that they “had to battle all the elements — the rain, the wind,” Silva noted, “we had no accidents during our over seven months on this job. That’s the most important part.”

Raso said that safety record was no surprise with signatory contractor Costa Brothers Masonry. “Costa Brothers is a great contractor with us,” he said. “They do a lot of big work, they have a great safety record, and they really respect their employees.”

Inside the building, BAC members, employed by High Point Interiors Inc., installed tile in both the hallways and bathrooms, with the bathrooms featuring patterns in multiple colors. In the halls, the tilework is “pretty much on every wall, going up the staircases, full height,” said foreman Chris McLaughlin, a BAC member since 1993.

While the hallways feature 12”x24” porcelain wall tile in a single color, the bathrooms include multiple colors of 6”x6” ceramic tile in multiple colors. It was “time-consuming,” McLaughlin said, but well within his experience to “get a system down. Number the drawing, do a row at a time. Match the colors and once you get the colors all lined up, you’re ready to go.”

But a job that seems familiar to a foreman can open a new world to an apprentice.

Isaiah Condry, a BAC apprentice who also serves in the National Guard, described an intense and rewarding on-the-job learning experience in which he was progressively entrusted with additional tasks and saw his skills leap forward.

“The first day I got here,” he said, “I did about 100 square feet. Now I’m averaging between 400 to 700 square feet a day, so that was a tremendous jump.”

His work has grown in complexity, too: “When I first started, I wasn’t trusted to do the intricate patterns in the bathroom myself. But as we’ve gone along, now I learned how to read the blueprints, understand the color codes. It’s very interesting.”

The experience has changed his relationship to his work and the BAC, Condry said. “From the older guys previously, I always heard about the union. But actually being here it’s a total eye-opener. I absolutely love it.