Coutyard Repair and Renovation
Long-awaited repairs to address flooding and leaks in the Beckman Institute basement and sub-basement levels will begin in Spring 2026. The courtyard will be demolished, waterproofed, and reconstructed. There may be disruption to the building's entrances via the courtyard, and the potential for noise and vibrations throughout the building. The repairs are expected to be completed in September 2026.
During construction, the only entrances into the Beckman Institute are via the exterior doors of the building. It poses a danger to everyone when we have people ignoring the "Do Not Enter" signs and walking through the construction space. The courtyard is completely closed to non-construction personnel until the project is complete.
Updates on project timeline, progress, and milestones will be posted here as they become available. The most frequent and time-sensitive communications will be distributed via the BI listserv, beckmaninstitute[at]caltech, so please make sure you and your group members are subscribed. To subscribe to the listserv, please email Pat Anguiano and request to be added.
For general questions, including questions to be relayed to the construction team, please email Beckman Institute Administrator Ariane Helou, who is serving as the liaison between the BI community and PD&C.
We've created a flyer with the construction schedule and a QR code that directs to this page, which you can download here to print and post or share electronically with your group.
Overall construction timeline and plan available here.
Finally, please be aware that beginning in late June and early July, there will be construction projects ongoing at Noyes that may also cause noise and vibration impact in the BI. If you encounter issues from Noyes construction, please contact Lauvai Tufele (Project Manager, Caltech PD&C).
Latest Updates
August 20, 2026: Installation of waterproofing materials is producing perceptible fumes and odors throughout the building. We are actively working with Facilities to improve the building's exhaust system to lessen the odors by end of day. However, if you feel that you are being overcome by fumes in any way, please do not remain in the building. Your health and safety is the priority here. Waterproofing installation is currently scheduled to conclude by end of day Friday, August 21.
August 10, 2026: At this stage, the contractor is using handheld demolition/scraping tools to remove the remaining sections of the old waterproofing membrane and prepare the existing concrete surface. While this work can still generate noticeable noise, it is significantly less intensive than the structural demolition that has already been completed. This surface preparation is a critical step to ensure the new concrete bonds properly and provides a clean substrate for the upcoming work.
The updated construction schedule is as follows:
August 6-7: Installation of reinforcing steel (rebar) and completion of final surface preparation.
Week of August 10: Concrete placement for the courtyard, with Twinning Special Inspection on site to observe and document the work.
Weeks of Aug 10 and Aug 17: Installation of the new waterproofing system.
Following Waterproofing: Plumbing and electrical rough-in activities for the courtyard infrastructure, including the fountain systems, after which the remaining site improvements will continue.
July 23, 2026: There will be one additional day of drilling with heavy vibration and noise on Wednesday, July 29.
July 17, 2026: There will be additional days of heavy vibration and noise, Monday July 20 - Thursday July 23, as the construction team demolishes additional concrete structures recently uncovered (see photos here).
Please be advised that additional drilling will take place in the coming weeks to install the reinforcing steel for the new waterproofing system. We are waiting to learn the exact dates and duration of this work from Facilities, and will share that information as soon as we know more.
Please also note that vibrations sometimes impact the operations of elevators in the building, as heavy vibrations can register with the elevators' seismic sensors. The southwest elevator has gone out of service at least twice so far during construction. Please be advised that there may be additional elevator outages on heavy construction days, and plan accordingly.
The most recent status update (7/17/26) is available here.
June 24, 2026: The anticipated industrial water shutoff has been scheduled for Tuesday, June 30, 4:00AM-8:00AM. This shutdown is to install an isolation valve that feeds the BI courtyard; it will affect all lab sinks and any equipment utilizing industrial cold water & industrial hot water.
Once the isolation valve has been installed, the crew will be able to complete the remainder of the heavy demolition: Tuesday, June 30 - Thursday, July 2, 7:30AM - 3:30PM each day. These three days of heavy demo are anticipated to be the last of the project, but please note they will involve serious vibration and noise disturbances, so please plan accordingly.
Construction work will be suspended Friday, July 3 for the Institute holiday. Regular construction (not heavy demo) will resume Monday, July 6.
June 15, 2026: Noise and vibration data and analysis from the first week of demolition are available here (use Caltech login to access); latest project status update is here. Heavy demolition is mostly complete, but some additional heavy demo hours will be scheduled later in June to work around the water main. A brief industrial cold water shutoff may be necessary while working around the pipes; this will be announced as far in advance as possible.
June 9, 2026: An additional day of demolition has been scheduled for Monday, June 15, 7:00AM - 5:00PM. This is to make up for a partially lost workday on 6/8 as demolition was halted to repair a broken water pipe. Our current understanding is that Monday, June 15 will be the final day of heavy demolition with intense noise and vibration. Regular construction work will begin on Tuesday, June 16, causing mild to moderate noise and vibration.
June 5, 2026: An additional day of demolition is scheduled for Saturday, June 13. There will likely be heavy vibration and noise on this date.
May 28, 2026: Renovations will begin on June 1, 2026. Construction activities will take place on weekdays only, and will be paused June 11-12 for Commencement. Anticipated timeline:
June 1-2, 7am-3pm daily: Mobilization (delivery of materials, fencing, portable restrooms)
June 3-10, 7am-5pm daily: Demolition (saw cutting and jackhammering). We strongly recommend avoiding running any sensitive experiments during working hours on these dates, due to high vibration and noise.
June 15 - Sept 30, 7am-3pm daily: Construction. We anticipate that vibrations will be minimal during this period, but you may wish to consider conducting sensitive experiments after 3pm on these dates.
Additional details in Facilities announcement here.
The sound and vibration data from the soft demo is available here.
May 5, 2026: Construction permits have been approved. Beginning May 7, vibration and noise monitors will be placed in BI ground floor, basement, and sub-basement rooms. On May 20, 9:00-11:00AM, a soft demo was conducted to obtain real-time data on construction impacts (details here).
Construction will begin within 2-3 weeks after completion of the soft demo (late May / early June).