Swimming Pool Geofoam Project -not too deep to revitalize
The Ashwaubenon Community and School District faced a dilemma - what do you do with an indoor pool that is over 48 years old and has outlived its expected life? Think “outside of the pool” and fill it in with Plymouth Foam’s Durafill GeoFoam and give new life to the building!
Restoring this aged pool was not a viable option as there were too few of lanes and replacement parts were no longer available. The community decided to build a new pool, but what do you do with the old one?
The building that housed the pool was still in good condition. Filling it in with Engineered EPS Foam and pouring 5” of concrete on top “gives this building a new purpose.” This new area will be used as a commons area with tables and chairs for students to eat lunch.
Like all schools districts, needs change. Filling the pool in with foam has a number of possibilities for the district. Foam can be removed and the area can be repurposed for maybe stadium seating or a performance stage. The possibilities are endless.
Filling in a pool sound easy, but reducing in-fill weights and loading pressures of traditional fills such as gravel or stone can be impractical or unachievable. Geofoam to the resue, however filling in a pool with different depths and various slopes is not an easy task.
Boldt Construction’s design team working together with Plymouth Foam Geofoam Consultant, John Calkins, and was able to offer DuraFill Geofoam blocks that were manufactured in various sizes to fit to the contour of the pool. The pieces were labeled and shop drawings were used to install the pieces. Boldt Construction was the general contractor and they “did an excellant job of making the pieces work and come together.”
Using a local contractor and a local manufacturer has many benefits for the local ecomony. Tax money collected for the school district is being spent locally and benefits from the “local multiplier effect.” This multiplier means the money is recirculated 3-5 times in the local economy and is a key tool for creating more local jobs. The school district saved money on transportation cost since the manufacturing facility is less than 75 miles away - now that is “thinking outside the pool.”
Local College ramps up savings and cuts build time
Wisconsin Lutheran College located, at 88th and Bluemound, in Milwaukee, WI is one of the fastest growing and most affordable college in Wisconsin. With the student body increasing, the need for additional parking was greatly desired.
Wisconsin Lutheran College is nestled between a beautiful Wauwatosa neighborhood and a busy Freodtert Hospital Campus. Designing and building a structure for parking needed to fit into the community and yet be functional. The end result was mentioned by a local official, “this may be one of the most beautiful parking structures in the county.”
Designed by HGA Architure and Engineering, this state of the art, 4 level Parking Center has the ability to hold 350 vehicles. Security and safety was built into the project for the users with an abundance of lighting and a security station. Another great feature to this parking center is the access in is very spacious and it has a two lane exit point for left or right turn functionality. The feedback from students on the additional needed parking has been extremely positive.
One of the real construction challenges in building this Parking Center was the problematic soil conditions that place extremely high lateral loads to the foundation walls. Designing and specifying regular fill material to help these lateral load conditions would take settling and compression time. This extends the project build time and increases cost.
Another challenge to the project was the confined area that was sloping toward the project. Moving heavy equipment and material into the site took careful planning. Weather and construction conditions were managed by a great team of construction professionals from Catalyst Construction.
Plymouth Foam’s DuraFill Geofoam was able to meet the challenge of this project by reducing the construction time line by providing a “ready to build site.” Reducing the build time reduces labor costs and carrying loan cost for the college. Staying on time and on budget for a large construction isparamount in the construction world and DuraFill delivered.
Other fill materials are seldom controlled and can produce varying effects and outcomes. Plymouth Foam’s DuraFill Geofoam is controlled during the manufacturing process and is designed and engineered to accomplish those specific construction outcomes. DuraFill meets the challenge of being an ultra-lightweight material that can reduce load settlement and improve stability against bearing and slope failures.