Maverick Pools does more than just pools and spas.  In 2016 Clark construction came to us to help them with their project at 150 Riverside in downtown Chicago.  The building has a small base which extends out from a concrete spine that runs up the entire building. The building itself is 54 stories and has a large façade that is constantly battered by wind. 

All tall buildings face the challenge of wind loads pushing on the structure, because the façade acts like a giant sail. However, with such a slender building resting on a smaller-than-normal base, the designers of 150 North Riverside had to use an innovative solution to help reduce the motion of the building and provide a comfortable working environment for tenants on the upper floors.

One method of reducing the sway in a tall building is to place a very heavy object – which also has the ability to move somewhat freely – at the top of the structure. When the wind pushes on the building one direction, the heavy object naturally moves in the opposite direction, helping to counteract the oscillation. Hidden in the upper floors of 150 North Riverside, several giant tanks—called “tuned liquid sloshing dampers”—hold 160,000 gallons of water. These special tanks of liquid help to dramatically dampen and reduce the building’s sway.

With tanks holding this much water, they needed to ensure that they were properly waterproofed.  Maverick was brought in and we installed a 60 Millimeter PVC liner.  The installation of the liner had to be performed in these chambers with certified extraction rescue teams on hand for safety purposes.  Once our scope of work was complete, the tanks were filled and are working exactly as the designers intended.