Work resumes at NYU Shanghai's new campus
Construction resumes at the Qiantan campus of NYU Shanghai.
Shanghai’s Qiantan in the Pudong New Area bustled with the sounds of construction once again as work resumed on the site of Shanghai New York University's new campus.
As with other projects throughout the city, construction of the 115,000-square-meter new campus halted in late January following the COVID-19 outbreak. Workers, most of them from Sichuan and Anhui provinces, were required to stay home as part of China’s efforts to contain the virus.
Now, as life in China begins to return to normal, all 110 workers are back to Shanghai with 70 having already completed their 14-day quarantine and returned to the construction site.
“It is wonderful to see life in Shanghai gradually returning to normal,” said Jeffrey Lehman, vice chancellor of NYU Shanghai. “We are very happy that our beautiful new campus is resuming its rise from the ground.”
Work resumes at Shanghai New York University's new campus site.
Several safety measures are in place on the site to protect workers and prevent infection. All on-site staff have their temperatures taken and recorded twice a day, and visitors are also required to undergo a temperature check before being allowed to enter. The site is disinfected twice a day.
Temporary quarantine facilities have also been erected at the site as a safeguard in case a new infection is discovered.
Although this step forward is taken with an extra dose of caution, it is still proof of Shanghai and NYU Shanghai’s shared resilience, said Yu Lizhong, the university’s chancellor.
“Sunshine always follows a storm. The return to work at the new campus site reflects the tenacity and vitality intrinsic to this city,” Yu said. “It simply makes the story of this NYU Shanghai milestone even more amazing than it was before.”
Ding Shuzhe, associate vice chancellor of NYU Shanghai, distributes swag bags with towels and hats to workers.
Despite the two-month delay, project managers are still confident that the campus will be ready by summer of 2022.
"Catch-up measures are being taken or will be taken to offset the impact of the stoppage and ensure that the new campus can open as planned,” said Crystal Zhou, the university's campus and facilities manager.
The site has already received permission to continue construction at night, allowing developer Lujiazui Properties to make up for lost time, according to the university.
An artist's rendition of NYU Shanghai's Qiantan campus.
