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Projects   Project Portfolio – June 2005
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Porter Boathouse, University of Wisconsin

Madison, Wis.
VJAArchitects

With a deft use of form and materials, VJAA tucked the daylight-filled Porter Boathouse amid handsome older neighbors


Photo © Zane Williams

By Nancy Levinson

Rowing is the oldest sport at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and one of the most illustrious. In the past century, the school’s varsity crews have won dozens of intercollegiate titles, and Wisconsin rowers were part of every U.S. men’s and women’s Olympic team from 1968 through 2000. This competitive record is especially remarkable given that for decades the university’s rowers trained in a facility that all agree was egregiously inadequate: a one-story concrete boat-storage structure built in 1967 to replace a grand but dilapidated Shingle Style boathouse from the early 1900s. Never commodious, the structure was dated almost right away, when in the early ’70s two women’s crews more than doubled the program’s size. “The old building was dark, dank, and very crowded,” recalls Chris Clark, head coach of the men’s team. “It was more like a bunker than a boathouse.”

Today, memories of the bunker are fading fast: This spring, the rowing program moved into the $8.56 million, 52,000-square-foot, up-to-the-minute Porter Boathouse. Designed by Vincent James Associates Architects (VJAA) of Minneapolis with KEE Architects of Madison, the new structure is as sleek and elegant as a racing shell, with a no-nonsense program dedicated to storing boats and training rowers. Almost the entire 17,000-square-foot ground floor is taken up by a high-ceilinged space that can house more than 200 shells (ranging in length from 28 to 57 feet), as well as all the accoutrements of the sport (hundreds of oars, outriggers, boat slings, etc.). From this space, six garage-style doors open onto a poured-concrete apron and the shores of Lake Mendota. On the second floor are coaches’ offices and team locker rooms, as well as a small lounge and a lobby where memento-packed display cases comprise a hall of fame of Wisconsin rowing. The most eye-catching space is the one that contains two moving-water, adjustable-current rowing tanks—valuable equipment in Madison, where the lakes are frozen for much of the winter.

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the People

Owner
Board of Regents, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Design Architect
VJAArchitects
400 First Avenue North, Suite 120
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401
(612) 872-6370
(612) 872-6380 Fax
www.vjaa.com

Design Principal:
Vincent James FAIA

Collaborating Principal:
Jennifer Yoos AIA

Managing Principal:
Nathan Knutson AIA

Design Collaborator:
Andrew Dull

Core Team:
Chris Wegscheid AIA (Project Architect), Lev Bereznycky, Steven Philippi; Project Team: Paul Yaggie AIA, Donovan Nelson, Bob Loken, Karen Lu, Carl Gauley, Dzenita Hadziomerovic

Architect of Record
KEE Architects
Madison, Wisconsin

David Ewanowski AIA (Principal-in-Charge), Jan Eymann WRID (Interiors), Douglas Kozel AIA, Kandy Brouchoud, Peter Crennell AIA, Paul Cuta AIA, Rick Gabriel AIA, Sohail Khan Assoc. AIA, Linda Page and Michael Zuehlke AIA.

Engineer(s)
Structural and Civil:
Strand Associates, Inc , Wisconsin www.strand.com

Mechanical, Electrical and Fire Protection engineering:
KJWW Engineering Consultants, P.C., Wisconsin www.kjww.com

Consultant(s)
Landscape architect:
Ken Saiki Design www.ksd-la.com

Rowing Consultant:
Jeff Peterson AIA www.peterson-architects.com

Tank Consultant:
Water Technology Inc. www.watertechnologyinc.com

General Contractor
General Contractor: Miron Construction Co., Neenah, WI www.mironconst.com

CAD system, project management, or other software used
AutoCAD www.autodesk.com, Form-Z www.formz.com

Photographer(s)
Don Wong
952-948-9696 office
952-948-9697 fax
612-578-3526 mobile

Renderer(s)
VJAArchitects www.vjaa.com

the Products

Structural system
Cast-in-Place Concrete:
Miron/Mitchell

Steel Fabrication:
Endres Mfg., Waunakee, WI. www.endresmfg.com

Exterior cladding
Masonry:
Stone Masonry Veneer: Anamosa Limestone, supplied by Weber Stone Company, Anamosa, Iowa www.weberstone.com

Metal/glass curtainwall:
Vistawall Architectural Products www.vistawall.com

Roofing
Elastomeric (EPDM):
Firestone www.bridgestone-firestone.com

Metal (Tern-Coated Copper):
Interstate Roofing (Installer), Copper Sales – Una-Clad www.unaclad.com (Supplier)

Windows
Aluminum:
Vistawall Architectural Products www.vistawall.com

Glazing
Glass:
Interpane www.interpane.de

Insulated Glass:
Oldcastle Glass www.oldcastle.com Wausau

Doors
Entrances:
Vistawall Architectural Products www.vistawall.com

Metal doors and frames:
Curries www.curries.com

Wood doors:
Oshkosh Architectural Door Company (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) www.oshkoshdoor.com

Sliding doors:
Vistawall Architectural Products www.vistawall.com

Upswinging doors, other:
Arm-R-Lite Door Manufacturing (Sectional Overhead Doors) www.armrlite.com
Wayne Dalton (Coiling Counter Doors) www.wayne-dalton.com

Hardware
Locksets:
Schlage www.schlage.com

Hinges:
McKinney www.mckinneyhinge.com

Closers:
LCN www.lcnclosers.com

Exit devices:
Von Duprin www.vonduprin.com

Pulls:
Cabinet hardware: Hafele www.hafeleamericas.com

Interior finishes
Metal Ceilings:
Ceilings Plus www.ceilingsplus.com

Acoustical ceilings:
USG Interiors, Inc. www.usg.com

Suspension grid:
USG Interiors, Inc. www.usg.com

Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Techline (Cabinets) www.techlineonline.com, Hillcraft, Ltd. (Custom Woodwork)

Paints and stains:
Sherwin-Williams www.sherwin-williams.com

Fiberglass Reinforced Paneling:
Kemlite www.kemlite.com

Plastic laminate:
Wilsonart www.wilsonart.com

Floor and wall tile:
Dal Tile www.daltile.com and Lone Star www.lonestarmosaics.com (Showers and Restrooms)

Resilient flooring:
Mannington www.mannington.com

Epoxy Terrazzo:
Terrazzo & Marble Supply Companies www.tmsupply.com

Carpet (Tile):
Shaw www.shawfloors.com
Carpet (Broadloom): J&J Industries www.jjindustries.com

Furnishings
By Owner

Lighting
Cooper www.cooperlighting.com

Conveyance
Elevators/Escalators:
Thyssen-Krupp www.thyssenkrupp.com

Plumbing
Water fountains:
Oasis

Lavatories and Water Closets:
Kohler www.kohler.com

Other
Membrane Waterproofing:
Grace Construction Products www.na.graceconstruction.com

 
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