Crowne Plaza needed to create a smaller pool, without disrupting hotel guests or requiring replacement. Instead, Spray-Tec used polyurethane in an innovative way to resolve the problem.

Problem

At Crowne Plaza hotel, property management were faced with a dilemma. Due to the size and depth of the pool in their covered glass courtyard, a new law required the hotel to have 3 lifeguards on duty while the pool was open. Legally and financially, this did not make sense. Because the pool was inside a glass building in the center of the hotel, tearing it out and completing a full replacement was not an option. This hotel needed a solution that would create a smaller pool, without disrupting hotel guests or requiring replacement. Eventually, after considering several different options, their engineering team decided upon constructing a metal frame with a pool liner inside the original pool, then filling in the old pool void area around the new pool structure and pouring a new concrete pool deck. The filling of this void area presented three key challenges for the hotel: filling the area without adding excessive weight, managing debris from the existing pool, and minimizing disruption to hotel operations.

Solution

After the plan for the pool was formulated, the parts of the pool that needed to be removed were demolished and left in pieces in the bottom of the area to be filled, helping fill some of the space between the old pool and new pool frame. Spray-Tec and NCFI‘s Chris Gibby selected two polyurethane formulas to fill the remainder of the space. First, they used NCFI’s 24-039 polyurethane, injecting it directly into the annular spaces between the debris. Once it expanded to fill the gaps between the concrete pieces and cured, it helped create a monolithic layer that allowed for the next system to be used. A second polyurethane, 24-023, a low-exotherm lightweight fill system, was used to create a flat, consistent foundation for the concrete to be poured on top. This system was spray-applied over the demolished concrete layer, smoothing out surface inconsistencies into an even surface. This process enabled Crown Plaza to avoid pouring over 1.2 million pounds of concrete.

Results

The results of this project met every project goal despite the limitations of the pool’s accessibility. Because they left the debris to fill the bottom of the space, there was no hauling of demolished material through the hotel. By filling the remainder of the space with polyurethane, Spray-Tec was able to complete the job quickly without disrupting hotel staff or guests. Additionally, by choosing polyurethane instead of concrete, Crown Plaza avoided adding extra weight and thereby impacting the new pool structure. As a result of this innovative solution, Spray-Tec helped the customer significantly shorten the renovation timeline by weeks, dramatically reduce the operational impact on the facility, and deliver a fast and effective solution for a complex problem.