Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Specialty Contractors Waterproof University Boathouse Practice Tank

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/24/21

Two Minneapolis contracting firms recently partnered to make some long-needed repairs to the University of Minnesota’s on-campus boathouse.

The university’s Irene Claudia Kroll Boathouse is located on the shore of the Mississippi River and is one of a very small number of on-campus boathouses in the U.S. The facility features an erg room, a locker room, coaches’ offices, boat storage, and a 7,500-gallon indoor practice tank on the second floor.

University of Minnesota boathouse

The structure was built in 2007, and over time, water that splashed or leaked out of the practice tank had begun seeping through the flooring into the first floor. The facility was originally built with a nonstructural topping slab and precast flooring planks.

Western Specialty Contractors – Minneapolis Branch and the Minnesota-based general contractor Gardner Builders teamed up for the repair process, which started in Nov. 2020 and finished this month. Gardner Builders removed the tank and installed a drainage system. Then, the Western Specialty Contractors crew repaired the concrete surrounding the new drains and other cracks in the topping slab.

Before the new tank was finally installed, Western applied a 125-mil Tremco PUMA waterproof coating system to the surrounding concrete floor as a last layer of protection. “The waterproofing is a very heavy-duty and durable system that comes with a 20-year warranty but will actually last much longer than that,” said David Grandbois, Assistant Branch Manager of WSC – Minneapolis. “To ensure that the floor was monolithic and free from variances, Western performed an electronic leak detection test on the floor, which found no discrepancies.”

Due to the pandemic, the facility has been closed, so there were no schedule conflicts between the construction team and the university rowing team.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • Designing the Bridge Between Inclusivity and Independence in K–12 Schools

    Fostering independence is fundamental to learning and development for K–12 students. It offers many proven benefits, such as enhanced confidence, problem-solving, decision-making, and social skills. However, this foundational objective loses its impact if it’s not accessible and adaptable to all students. Inclusivity plays a critical role in cultivating independence and healthy autonomy for students, fostering positive student learning outcomes by uniting pedagogy with the physical learning environment.

  • Missouri Child Development Center Completes $2.3M Expansion

    The Urban Sprouts Child Development Center in St. Louis, Mo., recently announced the completion of a $2.3-million expansion and adaptive reuse project, according to a news release. The new space includes a retail café, outdoor learning space, and a support office building.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.