Georgetown University wanted to build a new volleyball court for student use between three of its dormitories. They specified a regulation court that was to meet the needs of several classes of play and remain dry and playable in an outdoor setting. The university provided the initial bid documents, specifying the provider of all volleyball equipment, as well as the design for the in-ground base work.
Alpine Services was selected to build the installation. After initial meetings, Alpine was able to value-engineer the project which allowed the university to save approximately $15,000 and shorten construction time.
Site-Specific Challenges
Site access was severely limited (to sidewalk width) and the construction staging area was 600 feet away. Furthermore, a garage was beneath the site, which limited digging depth and other construction activities. In addition, mobilization was greatly influenced by Georgetown-area traffic. Incoming material deliveries were carefully scheduled around rush-hour. The university’s parameters were met by Alpine personnel, although it proved challenging.
- No noise or activities before 9 a.m.
- No parking of delivery trucks
- All machinery movement on sidewalks, etc., had to be accompanied by flagmen for student safety.
A Better Design
Alpine’s expertise in drainage enabled the design to be changed from a 4″ layer of drainage stone (under the sand layer) to a specific type of drain mat. This change was significant because it eliminated trucking quantities of stone thorough traffic and the campus, reduced weight on the garage roof, and reduced construction time by two days. Using the drain mat required exact grading of the soil sub-base. This was accomplished by using Alpine’s miniature laser controlled road grader. Sidewalk congestion and student risks were also reduced by eliminating the stone hauling. The installed drain system was then connected to the existing storm drain system.
Net pole holes were carefully dug by hand to receive concrete footings; steel sleeves were installed and then the holes were filled with concrete. This ensured that the net poles would true not only at volleyball court acceptance, but also well into the future.
Sand was then trucked up a sidewalk with 1-cy loaders in consideration of the load-bearing capacity of the roof and to prevent damage to the sidewalk and injuries to students. This phase took two days. The miniature laser controlled road grader was again employed to do the initial grade on the sand. After washing-in the sand, twice to enhance compaction, the court was given a final grading.
The installation of the volleyball equipment, with the posts, pads, colorful borders and boundary lines completed the job and resulted in a beautiful addition to the campus, enhancing student relaxation, and converting a previously unused area into an asset.
Alpine Services was happy to complete this project and to be a part of a beautiful, functional campus addition.
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