Foundation construction begins on Innovative Maker and Learning Complex

Work on the Innovative Maker and Learning Complex will wake up the quiet RIT campus on Dec. 14, with the beginning of the pile foundation construction for the new building.

A crane and pile driver will be used to install nearly 600 steel pipe piles 40 feet into the ground between Wallace Library and Monroe Hall during the semester break. Installing the piles will take five to six weeks and, weather depending, will end when classes resume Jan. 25.

Parking and pedestrian traffic will be unaffected during this phase; however, the project will create considerable noise and vibration.

Welliver McGuire Construction will oversee the pile driving. The next phase of the project will focus on reinforcing and capping the hollow piles with poured concrete in mid-March/early April, when the weather is warm enough to work with the material. The resulting foundation will create a sturdy base for the building.

Questions about the foundation work can be directed to RIT project manager Mark Williams at wmwfms@rit.edu.