Precast Aids In Meeting Design Challenge
Boston University (BU) West Campus students watched an old brick building and parking lot being transformed into an 110,000-square-foot athletic field and state-of-the-art underground parking facility.
New Balance Athletic Field essentially doubled BU’s playable green space, and make it possible to bring field hockey back to the campus, as well as men’s lacrosse for the more than 8,000 students who play in intramural and club spots. It also offers space to make men’s soccer and men’s cricket into club teams. Men’s and women’s rugby and men’s and women’s ultimate Frisbee has also returned to the campus, after previously being played on fields in the local area.
Through the use of precast construction, the design was able to address several aspects of the project, including long-span construction to aid the functionality of the parking component along with aesthetically pleasing brick and limestone façade finishes that articulate the architectural expression of a collegiate environment. The benefits of casting the precast pieces off-site, under a controlled plant condition, resulted in a very durable, high quality product that enabled the superstructure components to be constructed simultaneously with the foundations, allowing a significant reduction in the duration of the project schedule.
William E. Dailey Precast, LLC (Dailey Precast) located in Shaftsbury, Vermont, manufactured the 416 pieces of precast concrete.
The total cost of the facility, comprising the field, bleacher seating for 500, and a 322-car garage, was $27 million. |