La Bahn Arena update: Nov. 4
November 04, 2011 | Men's Hockey
Nov. 4, 2011
Nov. 1 Site Photo Gallery 
| Construction Timeline Photo Gallery
MADISON, Wis. –- If you’ve attended an event at the Kohl Center in the last month, you’ve been able to walk between the SERF and the construction site for La Bahn Arena to get an up-close-and-personal look at its progress.
The future site of Badger men’s hockey practices, as well as women’s hockey practices and games, carves an imposing figure from ground level. You also probably noticed the freestanding “T” that will support the bridge between women’s and men’s swimming and diving’s new La Bahn Arena locker rooms and the SERF.
The facility itself is slowly reaching the heights of neighboring Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion as structural steel is erected for the building’s frame.
However starting at ground level and below, the concrete foundations are nearly finished. The construction site in front of Kohl Center’s Gate B is restored, which has allowed access to recent events. Underneath that area, mechanical, electrical and plumbing work continues and the beginning of drywall installation in the hockey locker rooms is on the horizon.
A noticeable difference south of the construction site this week is the paving of the Kohl Center Dock area for the approaching winter. The drive has been a dirt road for the past few months.
The second floor concrete deck has been poured for where the women’s hockey coaches offices, as well as the swim team lounge area will reside, which is above where the hockey locker rooms will sit. That steel frame going up includes the area for the future east main concourse, women’s hockey coaches’ offices and the roof for the south half of the arena.
Near the Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion, plumbing and electrical systems have been completed for under the floor, while the ice resurfacing concrete deck at the south of the arena is poured.
For the ice arena itself, the west concrete foundations and columns for the ice system mechanical room are complete and the under floor mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations are continuing. This will eventually allow the pouring of the concrete foundation over the ground.
Upcoming projects on the facility include completion of the concrete ice rink perimeter on the west side, while installation of structural steel on the south end of the arena will continue. The start of installation of the precast concrete stadia at the southwest corner of the area is on the docket, as well.
