cement truck sighting.

Not a lot happening over the past few days.

Glad the camera is up and running again. I'm sure they're waiting for the site to completely dry before they can go back to full work capacity.

It is neat to see those four columns out there. I don't know what the plans are for them (i.e., if they are to be completely destroyed or incorporated into the new building itself), but I think it would be symbolic, if they will be used to help support/house the new building, to adorn each one with Dr. K's four stated goals/pillars for Rice Athletics (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bvkN_EyVpc). That way, we can say that all activities within the Patterson Complex - and all athletic department activities in general - are built upon those four pillars. It would be a good reminder for all what Rice Athletics is all about.

The columns, which appear to extend all the way down to the depth of the field, will be razed at the current grade level and the EZF foundation built over them.

The columns were actually a suprise. It was known that the scoreboard had piers, but not that they were so massive or went so deep.

(04-21-2015 10:45 AM)Frizzy Owl Wrote:  The columns, which appear to extend all the way down to the depth of the field, will be razed at the current grade level and the EZF foundation built over them.

The columns were actually a suprise. It was known that the scoreboard had piers, but not that they were so massive or went so deep.

Scoreboard or video board? I could not make out what you guys are talking about in the brief look I had at the (small) photo.

I would think the video board would've been recent enough for Rice to have "as-built" drawings of the foundations

I don't know the full history of the stadium, but it was Karlgaard explaining as we were looking out the window that the columns were an unexpected discovery. If they date back earlier than about the '70's that wouldn't suprise me. Underground work wasn't as rigorously detailed on paper back then, and construction in areas with buildings or infrastructure dating back to then can be an archeological adventure.

Grungy mentioned earlier they are 6' in diameter. That's a very large auger and, at 30' deep, a heck of a lot of concrete (and steel, presumably). Making sure the scoreboard can sustain hurricane force wind loads, I guess?

Seems to be a lot of digging happening on the east side just at the edge of the camera view.

(04-21-2015 01:53 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  Grungy mentioned earlier they are 6' in diameter. That's a very large auger and, at 30' deep, a heck of a lot of concrete (and steel, presumably). Making sure the scoreboard can sustain hurricane force wind loads, I guess?

Sounds good

I'm a little disappointed that this thread hasn't deteriorated into off topic grumblings like every other topic tends to do. Maybe we can veer from hurricane discussion to a global warming debate? Just a suggestion....

Well, you know they had to make those piles so tall and so big because of all the flooding they knew would eventually come with global warming, due to the rising tides and the hot air from both sides of the debate.

(04-22-2015 06:27 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I'm a little disappointed that this thread hasn't deteriorated into off topic grumblings like every other topic tends to do. Maybe we can veer from hurricane discussion to a global warming debate? Just a suggestion....

I understand that the columns are so bad at bunting that we don't even ask them to bunt anymore...

(04-22-2015 08:43 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(04-22-2015 06:27 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I'm a little disappointed that this thread hasn't deteriorated into off topic grumblings like every other topic tends to do. Maybe we can veer from hurricane discussion to a global warming debate? Just a suggestion....

I understand that the columns are so bad at bunting that we don't even ask them to bunt anymore...

(04-21-2015 02:58 PM)rice-76-03-06 Wrote:  Seems to be a lot of digging happening on the east side just at the edge of the camera view.

Looks like the camera angle has been moved to show the activity on the right edge.

As it rains a lot in Houston, and when it rains for several days where water pools up significantly, do they ever pump the water out, or will they wait for it to drain naturally? Since time is usually money, I would think they would use any dry days where it is not actually raining to make progress and clear the water away as necessary to do so or at least expedite the drying out process, but I have often seen construction sites where this does not always appear so.

Perhaps they plan for a number of non-activity wet days in their construction schedule? Also, perhaps there is a soil-compacting element to rain seeping down that is necessary in order to provide a firmer foundation to rest on? Not being in that business, I'm not sure how this works.

You're right on both presumptions. The rain helps the dirt bond together. It helps in the packing process, but it's not so critical with our project because the dirt underneath is already pretty solid. The contractor also sets aside 20-30 days that work can't be done due to weather. It's all good.

(04-22-2015 02:23 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  As it rains a lot in Houston, and when it rains for several days where water pools up significantly, do they ever pump the water out, or will they wait for it to drain naturally? Since time is usually money, I would think they would use any dry days where it is not actually raining to make progress and clear the water away as necessary to do so or at least expedite the drying out process, but I have often seen construction sites where this does not always appear so.

Perhaps they plan for a number of non-activity wet days in their construction schedule? Also, perhaps there is a soil-compacting element to rain seeping down that is necessary in order to provide a firmer foundation to rest on? Not being in that business, I'm not sure how this works.

Afflicted is right that soil may already be at or close to ideal compaction but when you are at or near your spec'd compaction, adding water is generally not good. (Water to assist in compaction is best applied in a controlled manner.) If they're not worried about it or not taking action, it might be because they have a lot more excavation/demo before working on foundation.

There's a big green hole next to the construction site that the water drains down to.

Is that some actual construction on the far left side? looks like a small structure? Hard to tell what that is.

Machines seem to be smoothing the dirt in the middle.

Let's jump back to the summer of 2006, for a look at the installation of the scoreboard…
(And I'll change my call on the depth of the columns to 20', not 30', based upon an assumed distance of 4' between the vertical supports on the handrail.

https://grungeworthy.wordpress.com/2015/...mber-2006/