Crew House Looking Like Artist's Renderings
May 20, 2004 | Women's Rowing
Each day construction progresses on Wisconsin's new crew house, the building looks more and more like the pic_filename=crew_house_model_02_02" target="new"> --> artist's renderings. As one cruises past in a boat on Lake Mendota, one can now imagine Badger crews walking out of the cavernous boat bays and launching an eight to begin early morning practice, while the sun rises to the east over the Capitol Building.
Organized chaos describes the operations these days at the north end of Babcock Drive. While one team sand blasts the cement on the west side of the structure to give the lower part of the building a 'rustic' look, masons create walls inside the east side of the building along stairwells.
The floor of the boat bays was poured last week and plumbing work has already started, with pipes seemingly falling out of the ceiling in the first-floor boat bays. As one walks along the back wall of the lake level, large pipes for incoming water and outgoing sewage are in place, as are naked door frames - guides for upcoming wall construction that will mark the rear of the boat bays.
A staircase along the west wall rises to the second floor, where the catering kitchen's walls stand. Nearby, facing south toward Babcock Drive and Camp Randall construction, the vaunted moving water tank makes its horseshow mark where Badgers will row during the frozen Wisconsin winter months.
Heading north towards the lake, metal framework is in place where the offices of the Badger crew staff will sit. Duct work throughout is apparent as workers shuffle from the locker rooms, which are hidden behind concrete walls east of the offices. Bathroom walls are also in place adjoining the student-athlete locker rooms.
It's on to the third floor and the rust-colored steel frame of the wave-like roof dominates. Covering part of the frame is silver sheetwork, on which the copper roofing material will lie. Once in place, the roof will protect team workout rooms and an area for athletic training.
Those rust-colored frames also show where the windows allowing grand views of Lake Mendota will enclose the crew house, and where the exterior observation deck will begin. Two large mechanical structures in the northeast and southeast corners can be seen on the mechanical fourth floor that will help the building operate, while a gentleman pours stairs to allow access to the machines.
Now that the school year has finished, the 65-70 daily workers have started working a standard workday, building 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Previously, the staff began at 8 a.m. to accommodate students sleeping and studying in nearby dorms. Heading into the heat of the summer, the change is a welcome respite that will insure continued productivity and safety for the crew.
Construction will continue its charge towards a Nov. 1 completion in the coming weeks with some benchmark additions to the project. Next week, stone will begin to be put in place along the outside walls on the second floor. In about a week and a half, the roofing will begin, a six-to-seven week project that will allow for much increased activity inside the building. The roofing will enable the crew to keep out the weather and to begin some of the finishing work inside the crew house.
Excitement builds with each passing day. With the grand opening countdown nearing five months, rowers at Willow's Beach, a quarter-mile west, continue to train but know their year-long bonding experience will come to a close before they know it.
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