The
O. Meredith Wilson Library at the University of Minnesota
includes a large below-ground-level section extending
out under a raised planter and courtyard area. This section
of the library houses storage areas and an extended walkway
connecting the library to other parts of campus. The area
under the plaza was plagued by seepage. Numerous attempts
to solve the problem by sealing the ceiling failed.
Campus
maintenance engineers eventually concluded that any solution
to the problem had to include a plan for evacuating excess
water from the large planters. As long as these planters
acted as a bathtub for irrigation and rain water, water
would eventually find its way into the library.
The
U was reluctant to remove the planters because of the
many years invested in the mature trees growing there.
Instead, lines of Multi-Flow were trenched in at approximately
10 foot intervals, circumventing the trees. The narrow
trenches required by Multi-Flow made this maneuver possible.
Each line terminated at the edge of the planter and emptied
out onto sidewalk.
The
seepage issue has been resolved and the grass in the planter
has been reestablished. The University of Minnesota maintenance
staff was impressed with the ease of use and the effectiveness
of Multi-Flow
