McGregor Memorial Conference Center Reflecting Pool - Wayne State University

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  • Apr 4, 2014

The reflecting pool at Wayne State University was designed and built in 1958 by Minoru Yamasaki, most famed for design of the World Trade Center Building. The pool consists of an 18 in. deep 200 ft long L-shaped pool, forming a system of courts linking the surrounding buildings. In the late 1990s the 92,000 gal pools were drained because of a damaged foundation.

In 2011, restoration of the pools commenced. This restoration process included extensive repairs to the concrete foundation, renovation of the pool system using epoxy-coated reinforcing steel, and accessibility and circulation upgrades. From replacing boulders, bridges and sculptures in their original locations, to replicating site aesthetics and functionality using modern construction techniques, this project provided the QEA team with many interesting challenges and opportunities to resolve along the way. In 2013, the pool was returned to the original vision of its designer.

Details on the restoration are included in the April 2014 edition of Concrete International magazine.