County Materials' hollowcore weathers winter installation
Location: Park Rapids, Minn.
Architect: Richard Rude Architectural
Structural engineer: Hayer Engineering
PARK RAPIDS, Minn. (June, 2005) – The term "winter freeze" applies to more than just icy lakes and visible breath. Too often, it means a slowdown in production as building contractors wait out the fickle weather. But Meinecke-Johnson Co., of Fargo, N.D., kept its construction process flowing from October through the 2004-05 winter by using County Materials' Hollowcore Roof & Floor System on the Hubbard County (Minn.) Law Enforcement Center, which is scheduled to be finished in December.
"The snow wasn't so bad. You don't have to shelter hollowcore plank like you do for pour-in-place," said Randy Bueng, who supervised the project for Meinecke-Johnson. "You just heat it underneath and put blankets over the top of it."
The project utilized more than 45,000 square feet of hollowcore - in 8- and 12-inch depths - at grade level and 12 feet above grade. It also included more than 1,500 linear feet of columns and inverted T beams.