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A soil problem typical of Hempstead County has arisen in the early stages of the largest construction project ever undertaken on the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope campus.
UACCH Chancellor Chris Thomason said Wednesday that work on the $10 million Hempstead Hall project has not been substantially delayed by the need to add foundation fill after it was discovered that subsurface “fatty clay” needed to be removed.
“I'm very confident, based upon the experts and our architect's recommendations that we will be able to overcome the additional 'fatty clay' that they have found,” Thomason said. “That did slow us down; but, I felt like, along the other parties involved, that this was the most responsible thing for us to do that we could to address the foundation issue.”
He said that foundation excavations within the footprint of the building had to be widened and deepened, and support fill added across the bottom and perimeter of the site to ensure that the foundation will bear the load of the 52,000-square foot auditorium/conference center without shifting.
“Obviously, it was an additional cost; but, we were able to minimize that cost, and, I believe, it will turn on that small cost, and it is within the budget. We felt like it was absolutely necessary to take the corrective actions that were recommended to us by the experts to ensure the structural integrity of the building,” Thomason said.
“It's a very large building; it's a very heavy building, with balconies, lots of structural steel, some of which is on-site now. So, that should let you know that we are moving forward quite well, now.”
He said that the general contractor, Wade Abernathy, Inc., incorporated other aspects of the project into the additional site preparation time.
“If you will notice there was quite a bit being done on the ancillary parking facilities, and things of that nature; so, the contractor did a good job of utilizing that time,” Thomason said. “There is a lot to this building; and, we are absolutely committed to ensuring that this building represents all that the residents of Hempstead County, and all of our partners, expect it to be and want for it to be. But, it's a big, complicated building.”
He said that work on any single aspect of the project requires simultaneous coordination on other parts of the structural time line.
“It requires movement of utilities, and Hope Water and Light Corp. has been a wonderful partner, has helped us address fire safety issues; CMC Structural Steel has done a fabulous job in working on the project, but they will tell you that it's a complex building,” Thomason said.
The problem, he said, is typical to Hempstead County.
“We've had to deal with that issue with every building that has been constructed on this campus,” Thomason said. “Ricco Harris, the primary architect, who has worked on most of these buildings, he is from Prescott, and he understands the types of construction that exist in Hempstead County because he grew up in this area. He understands the conditions on this campus because he has worked so extensively with his firm and his previous firm the situation on this campus. I am very confident in the advice that we received.”
No design or architectural changes were required by the additional foundation work, he said.
“It was simply a question of what was the best remedial approach to ensuring that the additional 'fatty clay' found would not do substantial damage to the building as it expanded and contracted,” Thomason said. “It did not change the layout of the building or any type of structural support.”
UACCH has completed remodeling of the administration building, after water leakage created by roofing work damaged several offices in the building. Thomason said the corrected roofing work and the repairs have left a building with a newly-extended life.
“We're very pleased, and we are fully utilizing this building, now,” he said.
Work is also in the planning stages to convert a former science building into a workforce and student success center, he said.
“We have been reviewing our master plan and trying to ensure that we stay in a continuously progressive growth pattern on our campus, and grow in a way that is consistent with the needs of our students, faculty and staff and the community; and, consistent with the atmosphere that we want to create on our campus,” Thomason said.
Thomason said work is also currently being done to rehabilitate present campus parking areas and add some space to the rear parking area.
“We don't want our students dodging pot holes; we don't want visitors getting out of their cars into ankle-deep water, and things like that,” he said. “We are doing some drainage work as well, and resealing the entire parking lot.”
A soil problem typical of Hempstead County has arisen in the early stages of the largest construction project ever undertaken on the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope campus.
UACCH Chancellor Chris Thomason said Wednesday that work on the $10 million Hempstead Hall project has not been substantially delayed by the need to add foundation fill after it was discovered that subsurface “fatty clay” needed to be removed.
“I'm very confident, based upon the experts and our architect's recommendations that we will be able to overcome the additional 'fatty clay' that they have found,” Thomason said. “That did slow us down; but, I felt like, along the other parties involved, that this was the most responsible thing for us to do that we could to address the foundation issue.”
He said that foundation excavations within the footprint of the building had to be widened and deepened, and support fill added across the bottom and perimeter of the site to ensure that the foundation will bear the load of the 52,000-square foot auditorium/conference center without shifting.
“Obviously, it was an additional cost; but, we were able to minimize that cost, and, I believe, it will turn on that small cost, and it is within the budget. We felt like it was absolutely necessary to take the corrective actions that were recommended to us by the experts to ensure the structural integrity of the building,” Thomason said.
“It's a very large building; it's a very heavy building, with balconies, lots of structural steel, some of which is on-site now. So, that should let you know that we are moving forward quite well, now.”
He said that the general contractor, Wade Abernathy, Inc., incorporated other aspects of the project into the additional site preparation time.
“If you will notice there was quite a bit being done on the ancillary parking facilities, and things of that nature; so, the contractor did a good job of utilizing that time,” Thomason said. “There is a lot to this building; and, we are absolutely committed to ensuring that this building represents all that the residents of Hempstead County, and all of our partners, expect it to be and want for it to be. But, it's a big, complicated building.”
He said that work on any single aspect of the project requires simultaneous coordination on other parts of the structural time line.
“It requires movement of utilities, and Hope Water and Light Corp. has been a wonderful partner, has helped us address fire safety issues; CMC Structural Steel has done a fabulous job in working on the project, but they will tell you that it's a complex building,” Thomason said.
The problem, he said, is typical to Hempstead County.
“We've had to deal with that issue with every building that has been constructed on this campus,” Thomason said. “Ricco Harris, the primary architect, who has worked on most of these buildings, he is from Prescott, and he understands the types of construction that exist in Hempstead County because he grew up in this area. He understands the conditions on this campus because he has worked so extensively with his firm and his previous firm the situation on this campus. I am very confident in the advice that we received.”
No design or architectural changes were required by the additional foundation work, he said.
“It was simply a question of what was the best remedial approach to ensuring that the additional 'fatty clay' found would not do substantial damage to the building as it expanded and contracted,” Thomason said. “It did not change the layout of the building or any type of structural support.”
UACCH has completed remodeling of the administration building, after water leakage created by roofing work damaged several offices in the building. Thomason said the corrected roofing work and the repairs have left a building with a newly-extended life.
“We're very pleased, and we are fully utilizing this building, now,” he said.
Work is also in the planning stages to convert a former science building into a workforce and student success center, he said.
“We have been reviewing our master plan and trying to ensure that we stay in a continuously progressive growth pattern on our campus, and grow in a way that is consistent with the needs of our students, faculty and staff and the community; and, consistent with the atmosphere that we want to create on our campus,” Thomason said.
Thomason said work is also currently being done to rehabilitate present campus parking areas and add some space to the rear parking area.
“We don't want our students dodging pot holes; we don't want visitors getting out of their cars into ankle-deep water, and things like that,” he said. “We are doing some drainage work as well, and resealing the entire parking lot.”
