The Moorhead Wing
On Alumni Weekend in May, Board Chairman Rod Moorhead '62 officially opened the new wing of HDT that bears his name. The new facility, carved out of the heart of campus where the lower dining hall and kitchen wing used to be, includes the following:
• East Dining Hall (the former upper dining room)
• Laube Dining Hall
• Prentice Dining Hall
• Mortara Academic wing
More details and photographs are available in the Summer 2010 Taft Bulletin, or in the article about the dedication dinner.
Project Overview
Renovation of Horace Dutton Taft Hall and Dining Hall addition
Architects: Gund Partners
Builders: O&G Construction
Earlier Photo Galleries
November 2009
September 2009
July 2009
May 2009
Earlier Images
A Movable Feast
Renovating and expanding the school’s dining facilities in the same location requires some complicated timing and shuffling. Here’s an updated look at how the project is unfolding:
Phase 1
Summer 2008 through Spring 2009
- Renovation of Jigger Shop and student union to temporary dining hall
- Demolition of lower dining room and loading dock
- Construction of new kitchen area and loading dock
- Construction of new West Dining Hall and new “marketplace-style” serving area (students will dine in upper dining hall and expanded Jigger Shop)
Phase 2
Summer 2009
- Close "upper" or east dining hall for renovations (add larger windows on east wall and remove outside hallway). Headmaster's Circle will close as well for work on that exterior wall.
- Vacate kitchen, all levels of HDT above dining and kitchen including art room, academic center, counseling, and apartments to begin conversion into dining ha
- Complete kitchen and servery in new building.
- Install sprinklers on all upper floors above dining hall and enclose stairs.
Phase 3
Fall 2009
- Temporarily re-occupy the East Dining Hall.
- Reoccupy the upper floors.
- Complete West Dining Hall. Occupancy January 2010
- Complete finishes including millwork in East Dining Hall. Winter 2010
Phase 4
Winter 2010
- Complete renovation of former kitchen area into North Dining Hall (includes three bay windows facing the pond and booths along three walls for more intimate dining).
- All three dining rooms are schedule to be in operation by March 2010.
Phase 5
Summer 2010
- Install handicap lift to Academic Center.
- Complete renovations to 2nd and 3rd floor Pond Wing where stairs have been removed.
- Construction of courtyard between West Dining Hall and McIntosh House.
Winter 2009
“Taking the LEED”
The renovations to the west end of Horace Dutton Taft Hall, and the new dining hall addition especially, presented the school a unique opportunity to reduce its environmental impact.
To advise architects and builders in the process of “greening,” the U.S. Green Building Council created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process. A registered project checklist helps estimate, based on a system of points assigned to such areas as sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality, what level a certification a project might achieve.
The school worked closely with architects at Gund Partnership in the course of design, using LEED checklists to inform the decision-making process.
“Early on in the process we sat around a table,” says project manager Lou Cherichetti, “looking at the checklists and started asking ‘Can we do this practically? financially? What’s most important?’ ”
Some of the ways the project will minimize environmental impact include recycling 80 percent of construction waste, using reusable materials for floors and walls, and providing bike racks near the entrance and special parking for a hybrid vehicle. “They also allot points for being within a quarter mile of public transportation,” says Cherichetti, but it’s slightly more than that to the public bus stop on North Street if you exit HDT on the west side.
“Among the areas where we reached,” he adds, “was in adding a cistern to collect rainwater for use in toilets, and reducing the ‘heat island’ using pavers in the courtyard instead of asphalt, which also helps runoff percolate through the surface. We’re also using wood products, including paneling, from renewable sources.”
By estimating the number of points a project will be credited at various stages of construction, planners predict the HDT project will achieve LEED Silver at the very least, and possibly gold.
“This is a major accomplishment,” adds Headmaster Willy MacMullen ’78, “particularly when you consider that much of the project involves renovating a building that goes back to 1912, as well as a facility that is still in constant use. We face challenges here not seen in completely new construction. But there was never a question about whether we would build a LEED-certified building. It is very important for us as a school.”
—Julie Reiff
Fall 2008
Construction firm O&G began their demolition of the lower dining hall in June. In the four months since, the project has gone largely to plan, and has worked hard to minimize its footprint, both aesthetically and logistically, on the Taft community.
This past summer, the builders had a three-fold focus of taking down the old lower dining hall, maintaining all utilities that went through that zone so that the rest of the school could function, and beginning the renovation of Mac House. As a result, enrollment in both Taft’s summer school and in the Teacher Education Center decreased by about 25 percent.
“Steve McCabe, director of the Summer School, David Hostage, who runs T.E.C., and I all agreed that we needed to maintain the quality of those summer experiences,” said Business Manager Gil Thornfeldt. “As a result, the numbers had to decrease.” All parties agreed that the programs ran smoothly, and that the benefit from a construction perspective is immeasurable.
The dining hall project got off to a great start, utilities to the rest of the campus were preserved, and in Mac House, there is a new heating system, 3.2 miles of piping and all formerly exposed wiring and pipes have been covered. Thornfeldt said that the summer work was “painstaking,” but ultimately worthwhile.
As the school year has begun, most on campus agree that the construction footprint has been relatively small compared to what they had expected. In order to feed the campus, we have started using two dining halls, one in the upper dining hall in the HDT building and a temporary one in the student union and Jigger Shop area. While the weather allowed, the Jig Patio had tables and umbrellas for beautiful pond-side dining. Some students felt initially inconvenienced by not knowing where their friends would be eating; most adjusted quite well.
“The success of the renovation and the minimal footprint on campus are testaments to our whole crew: faculty, staff, the construction workers and students,” Thornfeldt said. “I’m also thankful that alumni are so supportive, loyal and generous, as it is their passion for the school that continues to move this project forward.”
—Sam Routhier
Read the complete Taft Bulletin article detailing the project.
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