Historic Idaho Capitol Building Expansion
project profile Historic idaHo capitol Building Expansion
By robert d. card, rBEc, rrc, rWc, rEWc, rEWo
Idaho State Capitol Building. Courtesy of Idaho Capitol Commission. history 1919 and 1920. The building is 208 ft. (63 scagliola—a mixture of granite, marble dust, Although Lewiston, Idaho, briefly served m) high, occupies an area of 201,720 sq. ft. gypsum, and glue dyed to look like marble, as Idaho’s capital from the formation of (18,740 m2), and contains over 50,000 sq. created by a family of artisans in Italy in Idaho Territory in 1863, the territori- ft. (4,600 m2) of artistically carved marble. an arduous 15-step process that must be al legislature moved the capital to Boise Four types of marble were used in restarted if a single mistake is made. in December 1864. In 1905, 15 years the building: red from Georgia, gray from The building is clad with sandstone into statehood, the Idaho state legislature Alaska, green from Vermont, and black taken from Table Rock, near Boise. Convicts passed a bill authorizing construction of the from Italy. Architectural inspiration includ- from the old Idaho Penitentiary were respon- Capitol Building. ed St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, St. Paul’s sible for cutting and transporting the 10-ton The building was designed by John Cathedral in London, and the U.S. Capitol sandstone blocks from the quarry. E. Tourtellotte, a Connecticut native who in Washington, D.C. The most prominent Underground tunnels connect the moved to Boise in 1890; and Charles feature of the capitol is its dome, topped Capitol Building to the Supreme Court Hummel, a German immigrant who part- by a bronze-gilded eagle nearly 6 ft. tall. As building and other government buildings on nered with Tourtellotte in 1903. The dome part of the exterior restoration in 2005, the Capitol Mall to the east. Originally intended and central parts of the Capitol were built eagle received a new gilding of gold leaf. to serve as shelters to protect the governor from 1905-1912, and the wings (House and The 219 pillars in the original building and other public officials, the tunnels are Senate chambers) were constructed during are comprised of marble dust, plaster, and used daily by government employees, but
2 2 • R C I I n t e R f a C e n o v e m b e R 2 0 1 7 Figure 1 – Site plan and section through addition. Courtesy of CSHQA.
without com- sCope of Work plete consid- It was determined that additional space eration of the could be provided without impacting the whole of the visual aspect of the existing building by uti- structure or lizing the areas below the expansive flank- sensitivity to ing lawns. The lawns adjacent to the main the histori- building would be excavated (~100,000 are not accessible to the public. cal features of the building. Many compo- cubic feet [2,832 m3] of earth), and water- A large bell directly in front of the nents of the original architectural design proof concrete shells constructed and care- Capitol is a scale replica of the Liberty Bell have been modified repeatedly. The need fully connected to the existing building (uncracked), which pedestrians can ring. for greater and more flexible space clashed below grade (Figure 1). Idaho’s Capitol Building is the only one with the need for protection of the historic The Garden Wings were designed to in the United States heated by a geother- design. maximize code-allowed occupancies, egress, mal process. The system extracts geother- In 1998, the Idaho State Legislature and continuity between the wings and the mal water from nearly 3,000 feet (914 m) initiated a comprehensive, multi-year mas- Capitol Building. Conceptual design and underground to supply about 90 percent of ter planning and restoration effort. The initial construction documents were pre- the heat required for nine buildings in the Idaho State Capitol Commission was creat- pared in 2006 for two underground levels, downtown Boise area, including the Capitol ed to ensure the historic preservation of the located nearly 30 ft. (9.1 m) below grade, Building. Capitol Building and its continuing role as significantly below the water table, and less The original cost to construct the Capitol the functioning seat of state government. was $2.1 million. Estimated replacement costs today would be over $100 mil- lion, with many Figure 2 – Connecting the materials consid- addition to the main building. ered irreplaceable. With the ex- pansion of state government during the past century, modifications have included reconfigu- ration of space in order to accommo- date new agencies, programs, and addi- tional staffing, and to reflect the changing tastes of each period. There have also been advances in tech- nology. Mechanical, electrical, and com- munications systems were sometimes added
n o v e m b e R 2 0 1 7 R C I I n t e R f a C e • 2 3 project profile than three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) from the Boise River. Steel and concrete were used for the structure. Expanded polystyrene geofoam was incorporated to help limit overburden depth, minimizing loads on the top of the structures. Much of the design work for the project was performed by Hummel Architects, the direct descendant of the original design firm. The initial design required a 100-year service life for materials and assem- blies. The design/build contractor initially selected spray-applied or self- adhered waterproofing. However, consistent with the 100-year design life for the structures, a multiple-ply polymer-modified asphalt membrane waterproofing system was recommended. Shortly after he took office in January 2007, the new governor, C.L. “Butch” Otter, abruptly halted the project, then reduced it in scope and cost, resolving to decrease spending. In his FY08 bud- get, Governor Otter proposed that only the restoration of the existing Capitol be completed, and not the addition of the two-story underground wings. However, a compromise was negotiated to proceed with the addition of two one-story
Figure 4 – Waterproofing system application.
2 4 • R C I I n t e R f a C e n o v e m b e R 2 0 1 7 other construction materials, needed to cycle. By excavating at night and shoring depart and arrive regularly through a during the day, the contractor was able to busy downtown corridor. Specific travel overlap these two phases of the construc- routes and timing (nighttime excavation) tion while minimizing potential impacts were implemented to help reduce the from one activity on the other, and helping impact on traffic and nearby business to reduce the potential for delays to the proj- operations, as well as other government ect as a whole. functions. The adjacent stormwater system was Nighttime excavation also permitted a approved for use in dewatering the site faster and more efficient truck turnaround during construction. Dewatering discharge
Figure 3 – Excavation and material delivery.
underground wings. Reduced hydraulic pres- sure was antic- ipated, but the structures re- Figure 5 – Waterproofing mained within system application. approximately 4 ft. of the water table. The waterproofing system was changed from two plies to one to help lower the cost. Construction resumed in April 2007 with the reduced scope. proBleMs and Challenges The existing building needed to be pro- tected during construction to avoid damaging its historical sandstone cladding. Columns and stairs adjacent to the work were wrapped and covered with plywood to protect them from possible damage (Figure 2). Potentially disruptive construction activities needed to occur while the legisla- ture was not in session, limiting the sched- ule. Much of the excavation was performed during the summer, while legislators were on break. Shoring and excavating in a tight, busy, secure downtown capitol block site was a significant challenge (Figure 3). A conven- tional, tie-back steel soldier pile system was used, incorporated into the structural wall with Nelson studs. Excavation and backfill materials, as well as concrete and
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Figure 6 – Finished project – overview. Courtesy of Google Maps.
Figure 7 – View of the capitol building from inside the addition. Courtesy of Idaho Capitol Commission.
asphalt membrane, adhered with asphalt adhesive and augmented with protection volumes of 500 to 1,000 gpm (1,893 to and drainage layers (Figures 4 and 5). The 3,785 lpm) were implemented for each waterproofing system was revised from the structure for approximately one year. The original multiple-ply design to help reduce permanent dewatering system includes a costs. It was determined that a single-ply passive collection and drainage system, system would provide adequate protection combined with four sumps/pumps per against the reduced hydrostatic pressures structure as backup. anticipated at the shallower depths of the The concrete shells were waterproofed single-level structure. using a single ply of polymer-modified Most of the waterproofing work was
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2 6 • R C I I n t e R f a C e n o v e m b e R 2 0 1 7 performed during the late fall and win- appearance of the Capitol Building, with addition of fire safety systems and HVAC ter of 2007/2008. Heated enclosures were only skylights over the new wings and the equipment; and upgrades to plumbing required to keep materials at a tempera- exit stairs at the ends as a clue to their systems. ture suitable for application. Transitions presence (Figure 6). Today, the skylights at exit stairwells and podium lid features are well hidden behind strategically placed required close attention to the detailing. plants. A sandstone-clad clock tower was Bob Card is a Waterproofing transitions between the new designed to enclose the kitchen exhaust senior consultant structures and the existing building also stack. Many mature trees were salvaged and principal of required careful detailing to provide dura- and, combined with planters, benches, Wetherholt and ble, functional seals without damaging the and pedestrian paths, provide continuity Associates, Inc., historic building. for the current atmosphere of the Capitol Kirkland, WA. Following initial backfill with native block. He is a founding material, leaks were noted in the new The two new wings provide approxi- member of the space at several locations. The walls were mately 50,000 sq. ft. (4,645 m2) of addition- Puget Sound and re-excavated at the leak locations, revealing al meeting space for legislators, staff, and Portland Chapters damage to the waterproofing system, likely citizens, while retaining the historical look of RCI, and has incurred during backfilling. The waterproof- and feel of the Capitol (Figure 7). The addi- been a regular ing was repaired by replacing damaged tion also provided opportunities to move nu- Robert D. Card, presenter of RCI materials with new and installing backfill, merous functions out of the historic Capitol RBEC, RRC, RWC, educational cours and interior finish installation continued Building, such as large mechanical spaces, REWC, REWO es throughout the with no further issues. data centers, kitchens, and dining facilities. U.S. and western Canada. Card has also A number of other features were includ- assisted with revision of the RWC exam, the results ed in the overall renovation of the Capitol, and chaired the REWO exam development Placing the new structures below the including renovation/restoration of win- subcommittee. He is currently RCI’s Second landscaped lawns preserves the visual dows, doors, floors, and decorative plaster; Vice President.
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