Challenge
- New, fast-track construction
- 116,000 ft2 / 6 floors
- Moisture concerns in new concrete
- Hospital sector scope- stringent concrete tolerances, moisture-sensitive flooring
- Extremely tight project schedule
ARDEX Products
ARDEX Concrete Management Systems™ (ACMS™)
US Patent 8,857,130 B1
Installer: Pavilion Floors, Inc., Woburn, MA
General Contractor: Suffolk Construction Company, Boston, MA
Architect: TRO / Jung-Brannen, Boston, MA
Solution
During the project planning stage, the owner, architect and GC realized that the schedule for the proposed addition to this downtown Boston Hospital was on a very tight, critical path. The team needed to move as efficiently as possible without compromising the integrity of the finished floors. Conventional construction practices utilize newly-poured concrete, which creates moisture problems for floors if not allowed enough time to dry and cure.
Given these challenges, ARDEX team members Barry Cullen, Mike Harris, John Felker and Mike Tracy met with Project Executive Chris Hahn of Suffolk Construction, his management team and Steve Jennette of TRO / Jung-Brannen to propose ARDEX Concrete Management Systems™ (ACMS).
ACMS™ is a patented, new process to finish concrete decks utilizing an integrated system of ARDEX moisture control and self-leveling underlayment products. After an abbreviated concrete placing and finishing process in which the final float and steel trowel steps are omitted, a layer of ARDEX self-leveling underlayment is installed either immediately after deflection or during interior build-out. In the Early Phase Option, the system is installed using an ARDEX MC™ Moisture Control System to allow almost immediate installation of finished flooring while mitigating moisture emission risks from the slab.
Due to Boston Medical’s narrow construction schedule, required concrete tolerances and moisture standards from the finish flooring manufacturers, the benefits of ACMS became clear. It allowed Suffolk to mitigate moisture and level the new concrete early in the job as well as proceed without the exterior walls being erected. This resulted in a quicker turn-around for subsequent trades because ACMS could be installed the same week that the concrete was poured. In addition, it eliminated the need for moisture testing, subfloor preparation change orders, disruption to other trades, delays in the flooring installation and arguments over cost responsibility. All parties are extremely happy with the final results.
ARDEX Concrete Management Systems™ deliver installation options that produce a dry concrete substrate capable of meeting the most demanding flatness and levelness tolerances for both the flooring and other interior trades while eliminating unplanned moisture mitigation and leveling delays.
