University Health Systems (UHS)
San Antonio, TX
A&D Firm: Perkins+Will
General Contractor: ZVL (Zachery-Vaughn-Layton) A triumvirate of three GC’s
Square Footage: 1.1 Million sf – SUPERCAP was applied to 430,000 sf
BACKGROUND:
The GC had not been given accurate information that the substrate had high moisture content that would lead to a floor failure. Moisture mitigation, capped with a self-leveling concrete would be necessary. The space had walls and some finishes in place. Mistakenly a sodium silicate primer was specified and applied to the substrate. That had to be shot-blasted as it would be a bond breaker for the moisture barrier Intertech recommended. The GC had to accept the fact that they somehow had to shot-blast, apply a moisture barrier, apply primer and pour a self-leveling cap in space that was no longer “open” and the GC’s weekly schedule was starting to get way behind.
OUR SOLUTION:
Intertech conducted ICRI certified moisture and alkalinity tests and identified that about 90% of the flooring needed moisture mitigation.
Budgets and timelines were established. The key was to deliver about 20,000 sf a week so all the trades following the floor prep could continue working. That was accomplished over several months by the Intertech SUPERCAP team working closely with the GC.
In addition we were charged with meeting a critical flatness over long distances to accommodate a magnetic robot track system.
Intertech was also challenged with the fact that entry to the building was very difficult at this stage…because SUPERCAP is mixed outside of the building, the only thing that goes inside the building is a hose, eliminating load-in issues. The Intertech SUPERCAP team was able to move the SUPERCAP Mobile Blending Truck strategically around the building perimeter and “stage” the hose to deliver SUPERCAP efficiently.
Texas summer weather can be brutally hot, requiring all concrete to be poured in the middle of the night. The Intertech and Laticrete SUPERCAP team engineered a custom chiller unit that negated the 100 plus degree daily temperatures. The chiller unit allows SUPERCAP to be mixed at 54 degrees and poured at 72 degrees, which is optimal “lab” conditions. Intertech was awarded the installation of the wear-surfaces and most of the ceramic installations throughout the project.
