I love fall - between the Packers and the Badgers it's just heaven for football in Wisconsin. As an added bonus I park in campus parking Lot 17 which overlooks Camp Randall. No kidding - walking out to my car I can lean over the west side and look down on the practice fields. Or if I park on the top level I am eye-to-eye with Camp Randall. It's a pretty cool view.
Last Monday I was at the construction site and spent a bit of time walking the north side. Holy cats, it's stunning. As I stepped back on the Observatory walkway I got to wondering....just how long is the new complex?
According to our design team, the length of the new facility (existing and addition) is longer than a football field - 1.4 times the length of a football field from the end zone to end zone. Since our building has connections between the addition and existing that are uninterrupted, I should be able to drop a few pounds just walking east to west.
That is if I don't stop halfway at the cafe for a little nosh....you know, just to keep my energy up.
On Wisconsin!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Crane Foundation
No, not talking about the International Crane Foundation, but the construction crane foundation.
A few weeks ago the large crane was taken down from the Human Ecology construction site. For over a year the crane was a fixture against the skyline, a symbol of Human Ecology strength as a member of the flock of cranes on campus. In June we met Sergio, our crane operator who shared the, shall we say...nuances... of spending 8 hours in the air. Once you meet the person who swings the big arm, it becomes personal. You could look at the webcam and see what Sergio was working on that day. It made me proud to think our crane was up there with similar beasts working on the Wisconsin Energy Institute, Union South or Biochem II. They are magnificent.
One of my colleagues asked what happens to the concrete pad the crane had been resting upon - excellent trivia question. Eric Plumer of JP Cullen tells me the crane pad for our project was an integrated part of the footings for the structure. This strategy has 2 benefits - saves on concrete by having the pad do "double duty" and keeps it out of the landfill.
Perhaps just a small plaque on the walkway, "Sergio flew here"
A few weeks ago the large crane was taken down from the Human Ecology construction site. For over a year the crane was a fixture against the skyline, a symbol of Human Ecology strength as a member of the flock of cranes on campus. In June we met Sergio, our crane operator who shared the, shall we say...nuances... of spending 8 hours in the air. Once you meet the person who swings the big arm, it becomes personal. You could look at the webcam and see what Sergio was working on that day. It made me proud to think our crane was up there with similar beasts working on the Wisconsin Energy Institute, Union South or Biochem II. They are magnificent.
One of my colleagues asked what happens to the concrete pad the crane had been resting upon - excellent trivia question. Eric Plumer of JP Cullen tells me the crane pad for our project was an integrated part of the footings for the structure. This strategy has 2 benefits - saves on concrete by having the pad do "double duty" and keeps it out of the landfill.
Perhaps just a small plaque on the walkway, "Sergio flew here"
Monday, October 10, 2011
If we LEED, will you follow?
One of the five principles of the Human Ecology building project relates to creating a "...high quality, healthy and energy responsible environment..."
While the project is currently trending LEED Gold certification thanks to the help of our design team and friends, it's important to think beyond achieving LEED and think about behavior changes.
Smoking will not be allowed in the building or within 25 feet of building entries or fresh air intakes. The design team also included a prohibition on smoking inside the building DURING construction to prevent materials from absorbing contaminants that can be released later during occupancy.
Personally speaking, I will be really glad to not have to run a smoke-filled gauntlet to get into the building during inclement weather.
While the project is currently trending LEED Gold certification thanks to the help of our design team and friends, it's important to think beyond achieving LEED and think about behavior changes.
Smoking will not be allowed in the building or within 25 feet of building entries or fresh air intakes. The design team also included a prohibition on smoking inside the building DURING construction to prevent materials from absorbing contaminants that can be released later during occupancy.
Personally speaking, I will be really glad to not have to run a smoke-filled gauntlet to get into the building during inclement weather.
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