New building nearly finished

As the Congress Avenue Building approaches what is known in the construction trade as “substantial completion,” much of the remaining work is going on behind the scenes. Workers began digging a tunnel under Congress Avenue in June to connect the new building with the Laboratory for Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology across the street. The final phase includes the testing of electrical, heating, air conditioning and air filtration systems, said project manager Reyhan T. Larimer. Moving will begin in November and continue through March under the supervision of Freeman Enterprises, a New York firm specializing in moving scientific laboratories. First the building will undergo customization to accommodate special laboratory equipment. “The building was designed generically,” Larimer said. “Now we have to make minor adjustments for the people who are moving in.” We’ll examine the move in detail in the Winter 2003 issue of Yale Medicine.