Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maser Consulting P.A.
It’s a dreaded scenario: revitalizing an outdoor facility only to have Mother Nature blow through town and damage the updated structure. Although damage may not be apparent on the surface, many parks and recreation agencies have been through the rigors of inspecting structures manually to ensure they withstood hurricane or tornado winds and damage from debris. Thanks to the latest technology, 3-D laser scanning may make the process less arduous and save time and more important--money.
Practical Yet Purposeful
In the densely populated urban city of Elizabeth, N.J., open space is at a premium. In 2010, the city embarked on the revitalization of the Mickey Walker Recreational Facility, a park with an aging pool that was to be transformed into a water-efficient, cost-effective, ADA-accessible, water spray park with seating areas. Designed by Maser Consulting P.A., the spray-park project was to include an open steel shelter where friends and family can sit in the shade but still monitor their children's activities. Another dimension was added when elderly patrons from the adjacent senior center also visited the spray park to sit under the shade structure and watch the children play. This unexpected—yet positive—revelation eventually led to the expansion of the initial building-structure design to approximately double the original size.
The structure was constructed with galvanized steel columns to avoid corrosion along the ground level. The remaining building was constructed of structural steel shapes of varying sizes. All hardware was stainless steel that will provide longevity and minimal maintenance. The roof panels were screwed into tubular steel to avoid screws penetrating the corrugated-steel roof, and a cupola was installed to improve the aesthetics of the overall structure.