La Bahn Arena construction update - Sept. 16
September 16, 2011 | Men's Hockey
Sept. 16, 2011
MADISON, Wis. –- The time is near when Badger fans will again become regular visitors again to the Kohl Center for athletic events, and the construction progress on La Bahn Arena reflects this with the entrance to Gate B, as well as Bucky’s Locker Room, looking more fan friendly every day.
The area outside Gate B, under which the future hockey locker rooms now rest, is looking more and more like a place to walk. The green roofing membrane is installed over the locker rooms, but that is already invisible, buried under drainage stone and dirt. Planter wall construction and concrete paving of the walkways are well underway.
Bucky’s Locker Room finishes are being completed as the store begins to reshape itself and ready for a reopening for the fall sports season.
Under ground in the locker room areas themselves, metal stud partition walls and mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-ins begin.
Looking at the arena itself, the pouring of the structural concrete deck of the Main Concourse level near the prominently visible elevator and stair area is on the docket, as interior concrete walls are formed at the northeast end of the arena. While that goes on, the first lift of the west stairway begins to form.
Also beginning are concrete footings and foundation walls for return air ducting along the Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion. Under floor rough-ins for plumbing that go under the east raker beams (arena bowl-supporting step-like beams) are set to begin, as are the pouring of the concrete floor slabs around the snow and ice melt pits at the south end of the arena.
Work also continues along the SERF on the north end of La Bahn Arena, where the radiant heating system below the newly installed windows that overlook the swimming pool is set for completion. Finishing work between the new windows also looks to be nearing completion. The installation of steam piping for the SERF steam duct leads to the pouring and waterproofing of the steam tunnel roof at the northeast corner of the Arena, wrapping up the current work on the north end of the arena.
