Burst Pipe Soaks Science Center Lab

The few students still working in the Science Center’s basement computer labs over winter break had a damp surprise just after Christmas, as a burst pipe showered water on them and the lab’s computers.

A pipe in the ceiling above the Greenhouse Cafe split around 11 a.m. on Dec. 28, causing a deluge of water that flooded the floor above and quickly soaked through to the ceiling of computer lab B14.

No permanent damage was caused.

Students working on the computers were immediately evacuated as Facilities Maintenance Operations (FMO) workers were called to address the situation, plugging the stream of water and organizing the clean-up.

“The pipe froze in the nine degree morning weather,” said Director of Computer Services Franklin M. Steen. “[It] came in from the frozen outside of the building. There are safeguards against such freezing, which apparently did not work.”

The FMO crew spent the next two days putting the lab back in order, removing the one-third of ceiling tiles that were damaged and cleaning carpets and furniture, before Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services (HASCS) staff checked the 14 computers affected by the leak.

The lab was closed for almost a week while these operations went on but is now open for student use again with 80 computers still available, and HASCS staff working to repair the others. There may still be minor disturbances to computer users, however, until the end of this week as Science Center employees replace lost ceiling tiles.