Best Projects Award of Merit, Sports/Entertainment: La Bahn Arena
The University of Wisconsin's La Bahn Arena is primarily home to the women's hockey team. The arena houses a 90-ft by 200-ft ice sheet used for both men's and women's hockey practice.
Construction of the arena was marked by the unique integration of air, steel and concrete in a two-way structural slab. By incorporating bubbles made of recycled plastic, the technology requires less concrete and reduces construction costs.
The plastic bubbles create voids that allowed the system to virtually eliminate dead-weight concrete from the middle of the floor slab. It also facilitated longer spans without beams, allowing greater latitude in design. The slab is directly connected to cast-in-place concrete columns, yielding a range of benefits.
La Bahn Arena, Madison, Wis.
Key Players
Owner State of Wisconsin, Division of Facilities Development, Madison
GC J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., Madison
Designer Kahler Slater, Milwaukee
Structural Engineer GRAEF, Madison
MEP Engineer Arnold and O’Sheridan Consulting Engineers, Madison
