Precast Solutions - May/June 2008 - (Page 18)

pounds per foot. “The erection of the precast came off More than a hundred years later since it was first designed, the rowing boathouse opened Sept. 28, 2007. Courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Rowing Boathouse Corp. Puttnam’s direction, picked a beige color for the building that could be achieved using untinted cement and an aggregate from a nearby quarry. The company then shipped that same aggregate to the GFRC (glass-fiber reinforced concrete) manufacturer in Ontario. “Working with the natural colors of concrete was going to be more advantageous than tinting,” notes Knauss. “Lakelands’ panels were the color basis of everything that was to come.” The roof pavers were made using the same aggregate as well, and the exterior finish on the underside of the broad cantilevered roof overhangs is the same color. The building’s simple, clean design belies the challenge of the thought process that went into its completion, however. “I don’t think there were more than four panels in the building that were the same size,” says Knauss. “The boathouse has a small, simple smooth as silk. The steel and precast went up in less than a month,” remarks Knauss. “Cast-in-place probably wouldn’t have worked because of the size of the building,” says Knauss. “Precast was the right choice for speed and weatherability. Anything else wouldn’t have held up.” Puttnam agrees, pointing out that since the structure is a working boathouse, it has to be able to stand up to the abuse of 60-foot eight-man shells being moved in and out. “I can’t imagine what the shell could have been that wouldn’t have made it too fragile,” he adds. The building also has to stand up to 60- and 70-mile-perhour winds in winter as well as high water that rises as much as 11 feet. “Ice comes right up to the building,” points out Puttnam, “and that’s a heavy load.” THE COLOR MATCHING CHALLENGE look, but it was complicated to put together. Therein is the complexity—there was very little room for error.” Puttnam agrees, “To keep it so there was enough space for boats and lockers, it was like putting a watch together. We fought for every inch of space.” Even though the fundraising and planning for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Boathouse took many years, its construction was complete in only nine months due in large part to the speed of using precast concrete panels for the cladding. Since Wright had originally designed the boathouse with a uniform stucco exterior, one of the biggest challenges of the project was actually creating the look of the building’s finish and then making sure that finish was uniform on the different types of materials used. “Everything from grade up needed to match,” says Knauss. Since the top portion of the building, over the viewing area, is glass fiber reinforced concrete, it had to match the precast. Rather than try to dye the concrete, Lakelands, under Deborah Huso is a freelance writer who covers home design and restoration, sustainable building and design, and home construction. For more information on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Boathouse, visit www.wrightsboathouse.org. 18 PRECAST SOLUTIONS | MAY/JUNE 2008 http://www.wrightsboathouse.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Precast Solutions - May/June 2008

Precast Solutions - May/June 2008 Contents Sustainability and Practicality Security Blanket A Frank Lloyd Wright Takes Shape Concrete Joins MENSA Precast Lightens Up

Precast Solutions - May/June 2008

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