Competition Natatorium Stabilization

The Challenge

Campus administrators noticed the formation of cracks in the pool deck after the pool had been drained for regular maintenance.

Since it opened in 1998, the Jim McKay Natatorium at George Mason University in Virginia has hosted numerous world-class swimming events that have showcased the talents of a long line of Olympic champions. The facility’s competition pool measures 25 yards by 50 meters and is surrounded by an all-tile deck. In 2012, campus administrators noticed the formation of cracks in the pool deck after the pool had been drained for regular maintenance. Consulting engineers pinpointed the problem. The original Shotcrete walls of the pool were designed to sit atop properly drained soils. However, the western wall of the pool was under constant hydrostatic pressure from heavily saturated soils in the area that had permeated the pool walls and weakened the tile mortar bed.

Concerned with the possibility of a shutdown at the natatorium, campus administrators began looking for solutions. Various options were considered to relieve the pool wall of the hydrostatic pressure, including the addition of permanent groundwater wells around the building perimeter, installing soil nails, injecting cementitious grout, and polyurethane injections After reviewing all available options, the university called Groundworks.

Key Facts

The Solution

Groundworks injected polyurethane injections into the soils beneath the natatorium to provide adequate, long-term support for pool.

Groundworks crew members arrived on the scene and began work by developing a site-specific injection plan to address the saturated soils at the west end of the facility. Crew members injected polyurethane injections into the soils beneath the natatorium, displacing water captured there while compacting and densifying the soil to provide adequate, long-term support for the competition swimming pool. All work was completed during a break in the facility’s normal schedule, so there was no interruption to regularly scheduled events.

The Impact

Groundworks’ cost-effective procedure was completed in less than two weeks.

Groundworks provided to perfect solution for the McKay Natatorium. UDI displaced saturated soil without increasing the load like cementitious grout, causing minimal disturbance to the natatorium’s normal schedule of events. Groundworks’ cost-effective procedure was completed in less than two weeks, allowing administrators at George Mason University to start the new semester with their premier swimming venue open and safe and ready for competition.