Impressive Crew House Construction Continues
August 06, 2004 | Lightweight Rowing
The exterior stone is complete, windows adorn the lakeside and the lead-copper finish takes its place on the roof as the UW crew house construction continues toward completion this fall.
The dog days of summer are upon the construction force at the UW crew house, where high temperatures and high humidity making conditions uncomfortable, but weather is about to become a non-factor for much of the project. With windows in place on the second floor, the water-tight roof structure and draped plastic keeping the third floor dry, the next major addition to keep out the weather begins Aug. 23. The introduction of the overhead doors for the boat bays will be a landmark day as the first floor will be sealed from the weather and finishing of the crew house inside can move into full swing.
Even before the first floor is sealed off, much has taken place to make it look like it will when the site opens to the Wisconsin rowing teams. Dry wall is going up and finished lighting already takes its place overhead. Shortly, the floor will be flushed and sweepers will come in to clean the boat bays. Piping is complete and testing of the steam system and plumbing has already taken place. Painting of the interior should begin Aug. 19.
Lakeside the location of retaining walls on the northeast corner of the building have been dug and await pouring, as do stoops that will enhance that side of the structure.
On the second floor, locker bases are in place and all the stairways in the entire building are complete. Dry wall marks the coaches' offices and the bathrooms and locker rooms await hard tiles, which will be positioned beginning Aug. 23. Six industrial-sized dehumidifiers will be turned on to dry out the insides shortly so more detail work can get underway.
One can picture the conference room in the northwest corner of the second floor and the impression it will leave on visitors. A barrel ceiling reaches 20-plus feet above the floor and natural light will pour into the room from the glass in the north wall of the room.
On the south end of the floor, the rowing tank sits under fully-insulated ductwork and piping. Within a week, 26,500 gallons of water will fill the room as Miron Construction will go beyond the call of duty, and its contract, to make sure the tank is ready to go.
The third floor, just a skeleton during the last update, is closed from the elements as the major roofing is in place and plastic marks where a half-million dollars worth of glass will soon sit. The wave-like roof shows where the frame for sliding aluminum doors will go so the crew programs can split into the three teams for workouts. Just outside the roof interior, workers apply the final touches to the exterior applying the shiny lead-copper finish that will eventually fade to a gray finish.
Though completion remains months away, excitement is palpable as one begins to see architectural drawings take form in a three-dimensional world. The building has even switched to its permanent power source, ushering yet another landmark in the construction process.
Other than the major glass installation on the third floor, the boat bay doors and the roof finish, the most obvious exterior project left is the main entrance to the building, which currently serves as the main construction entrance for equipment. Aug. 23 again marks the day construction on the public entrance to the building launches.
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