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Don't go out of your tree! The plaza's almost done |
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| This artist's conception of the new tree plaza shows the concrete islands and grass berms (each about a foot high) that will provide groups with more seating and more flexibility for staging small- scale events. Two micro-amphitheatres will take advantage of the prime views. (Illustration courtesy FSS.) |
The worst is over, promises Tina Bogott, head of the ML refurbishment project. "It's going to continue to be noisy off and on," she says, but the jackhammering required to tear up the old tree plaza surface is finished. "The second layer of concrete didn't come out as easily as we thought," she says. Instead of trying to take up that layer, Tina and Facilities Support Services staff decided to keep it in place and modify the new surface going on top of it.
The new plaza will have upgraded drainage: its concrete surface will slope gently toward drains (about 1/8" per horizontal foot), "kind of like a driveway." A waterproof membrane and insulation will go beneath the three-inch concrete slab. The concrete won't be red aggregate, like the ML walls, but an admixture designed to blend in with the building. The plaza's design includes several grass berms and two amphitheatre-like spaces to accommodate small gatherings. Patmore ash trees will replace the honey locusts that were on their last legs.
Work space beneath the plaza is also being affected, says Tina. "We've been installing new drainage piping in the labs, boiler room, and shipping/receiving."
What's next? The new membrane will be installed over one to two weeks in September. According to Tina, "This process will use a hot asphalt kettle and may produce fumes similar to the roofing operations at the Foothills Lab." At press time, the new plaza was forecast to be complete by early November, which should give the new trees a chance to settle in before winter arrives.
• BH
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