TerraShield Installed at New, State-of-the-Art Aquatic Research and Education Center
Project snapshot highlights:
- Volatile Organic Contaminants
- State-of-the-Art Research and Education Center
- 8,500 Square Feet Installed
In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Lake Superior State University (LSSU) is constructing a $14.5 million expansion that will house its state-of-the-art Center for Freshwater Research and Education (CFRE). When completed, the CFRE building will include freshwater testing laboratories, classrooms, an aquatic learning center, and an expansion of LSSU’s internationally-renowned fish hatchery. The new building is being constructed in an area of past spills of volatile organic contaminants (VOCs), posing a potential vapor intrusion risk. Assessing the risk and the options to mitigate it, the project team opted to install TerraShield® with a TerraVent® passive venting system. Terrashield was determined to be the vapor mitigation solution providing the highest level of protection at a competitive cost and offering superior installation efficiencies as compared to alternative vapor intrusion mitigation approaches.
A Growing Manufacturing Company Brings New Jobs to Lansing Area following Retro-Coat Treatment
Project snapshot highlights:
- Retro-Coat Allows Repurposed Industrial Building to Create Jobs in Michigan Community
- 140,000 Square Feet Manufacturing Facility Successfully Treated
A growing manufacturer looking to expand its operations purchased a vacant industrial facility in Lansing, Michigan, where chlorinated solvents were used and spilled into the subsurface. The environmental consultant was asked to address the suspected vapor intrusion concerns resulting from the former industrial operations. In working with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE), the consultant proposed utilizing the Retro-Coat® Vapor Intrusion Coating System, in combination with passive venting, to ensure safe indoor air for the future workers. EGLE approved the vapor mitigation approach to address the potential indoor air concerns. The Retro-Coat installation was sequentially phased in accordance to the construction schedule, where the Certified Applicator worked closely with the general contractor and the consultant to meet project expectations and deadlines. Since the Retro-Coat system will act as the wearing surface at this facility, the Retro-Coat Top WB topcoat was also applied to maintain the desired aesthetic of the building owner. Following the Retro-Coat and passive venting system’s successful application, the potential exposure pathway has been mitigated, and the site is eligible for restricted site closure designation by EGLE.
Ease of Installation Saves Time and Money for Preemptive Solution To Mitigate Potential Gasoline Vapors
Project snapshot highlights:
- Nitra-Seal protects future restaurant workers and guests
- Former Gas Station
Property developers for a national restaurant chain planned a new restaurant building on an old gas station in Galveston, Texas. It is common practice in the retail restaurant industry that when confronted with building a restaurant on a former gas station, the property developers will specify a vapor mitigation system (VMS) into the construction plan. The VMS serves as a preemptive measure to address gasoline contaminants that might have escaped detection during the site closure process. In these instances, the property developers require that the vapor mitigation system installation be completed efficiently and at a competitive cost while providing comparable or better chemical resistance. After evaluating VMS options, the property development team specified Nitra-Seal as the technology best suited for this purpose. According to the Land Science certified applicator, in comparing their experience installing generic styrene-butadiene-rubber asphalt emulsions, Nitra-Seal’s spray-applied nitrile-advanced asphalt latex core material was easier to apply and cured more rapidly. This saved time and money for the VMS installation, improving the project’s overall construction efficiency, and enabling the restaurant to proceed toward its opening.
Nitra-Seal Ensures Worker Safety For New Office Campus
Project snapshot highlights:
- New Office Campus in Pennsylvania
- Site-Specific Design for Unique Foundation Layout
- 16,000 Square Feet Installed
An established, construction services company was developing a new corporate campus on a former industrial manufacturing site where chemical degreasing agents were used. Prior to the building’s planned construction, an investigation was conducted, identifying chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the subsurface. Based on the investigation results, the project stakeholders specified the installation of a vapor mitigation system to address the potential VOC vapor intrusion risk to future building occupants. The consultant and their client were familiar with Land Science’s full suite of vapor barrier systems and had installed their vapor mitigation technologies at other building sites in the past. The team specified Nitra-Seal® for this project based on its top-performing chemical resistance and installation efficiencies compared to other spray-applied barrier systems considered. The building’s unique foundation layout required a nuanced approach and site-specific design support from the Land Science team. The Land Science Certified Applicator installed the Nitra-Seal vapor mitigation system efficiently and according to specifications, allowing the new office campus construction to proceed without delay.
Nitra-Seal Facilitates National Restaurant Chain Expansion into Growing Texas Market
Project snapshot highlights:
- Petroleum Hydrocarbon Vapor Contaminants Effectively Mitigated
- Solution Chosen Based on Best Combination of Chemical Resistance,Installation Efficiency and Price
An expanding quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain planned a new store in the rapidly growing central Texas market at a former gasoline station site. Although there was no active environmental incident associated with past use, it is common for petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) to remain in the subsurface, undiscovered at former gas station sites. Using their knowledge and experience in developing similar properties, the QSR client recognized the potential risk of petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) vapor intrusion. To ensure their future associates’ and guests’ well-being, the QSR client specified installing the Nitra-Seal® vapor mitigation system as a preemptive measure to protect against PHC vapor intrusion. They chose Nitra-Seal because it provided the best combination of chemical resistance, installation efficiency and price compared to other similarly priced vapor barrier systems. The Land Science certified applicator completed the installation according to manufacturer recommendations within aggressive time and budget constraints, allowing the restaurant to proceed toward its scheduled opening in the Fall of 2020.
Nitra-Seal is Integral to Revitalization of Downtown Hayward
Project snapshot highlights:
- Downtown Revitalization Effort Moves Forward
- 70,000 Square Feet Installed
Lincoln Landing is a mixed-use development project in Hayward, California that includes 474 affordable to moderate-income residences and 82,000 square feet of retail space. Petroleum hydrocarbon vapors migrating from an offsite source posed a potential vapor intrusion risk to future building occupants. The superior chemical resistance and constructability afforded by the Nitra Seal® nitrile-advanced asphalt latex factored into the project development team’s selection of a vapor mitigation solution. Nitra-Seal does not require taped seams, eliminating potential vapor breakthrough along the weaker taped-seam joints present in other vapor mitigation systems. This feature was especially important for this project, given the number of penetrations and terminations required by the building floor plan, including seven elevator shafts. The installation was successful, allowing the development of the property to move forward while eliminating exposure to potentially harmful petroleum hydrocarbon vapors. City officials expect Lincoln Landing to help revitalize downtown Hayward as it replaces a department store building that had been vacant for over a decade. Lincoln Landing is the first Nitra-Seal project initiated in Alameda County.
Leading Hotel Chain Moves Forward with Brownfield Site Construction Following Installation of Vapor Barrier System
Project snapshot highlights:
- Hotel Brand Expansion Into New Market
- TerraShield Protects Guests and Employees at Hotel
- 20,000+ Square Feet Installed
A leading hotel brand breaks ground on a new residential-styled suite hotel in an expanding commercial district in Ohio. The first of its kind in the state, the brownfield site required a safe and effective vapor barrier system to mitigate soil gas vapor contaminants from former industrial activities in the area, including spilled chlorinated solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons. The environmental consultant proposed installing a TerraShield® vapor barrier system to eliminate the potential exposure risk of building staff and guests to these vapors. The project development team agreed TerraShield afforded the best available technology to address vapor intrusion in a structure with numerous penetrations and terminations. In addition to providing superior chemical resistance, TerraShield does not require taped seams which markedly improves the installation efficiency. The Land Science certified applicator installed TerraShield successfully, maintaining the schedule and allowing the hotel to proceed toward its grand opening.
Chlorinated Solvent Risk Abated Making Way for Future Storage Facility
Project snapshot highlights:
- Future Tenants Protected From Chlorinated Solvents
- Land Science Offers Site-Specific Design Support
- 38,000 Square Feet Installed
The project site is a modern, climate-controlled self-storage facility that includes all-in-one moving, packing, and storage services for its customers. The building was developed on a former industrial brownfield at the site of a former factory. As part of Maryland’s Voluntary Cleanup Program, the environmental consultant completed a Phase II investigation, finding elevated chlorinated solvent contaminants in the soil gas. The Maryland Department of Environment required the installation of a vapor mitigation system over a portion of the building. However, in working with the consultant, it was ultimately determined that a vapor barrier spanning the entire building footprint would be necessary to protect the future building tenants fully. Based on chlorinated solvent concentrations, TerraShield® was specified to provide the highest level of chemical resistance and long-term barrier performance available on the market. The project required active venting and a site-specific design, leveraging Land Science’s vapor barrier design expertise. Additionally, the TerraShield vapor mitigation system included an extended material warranty to provide the project stakeholders added assurance that building occupants would be protected long into the future.
Future Retail Tenants Can Breathe Easier Knowing That Vapors Will Not Intrude
Project snapshot highlights:
- Former Dry Cleaning Operations Transformed Into Safe Retail Storefront Property
- TerraShield with Retro-Coat Complete Remediation Efforts
- First Installation in Los Angeles County
The first TerraShield installation completed in Los Angeles County is a former dry cleaning site redeveloped to make way for a retail storefront. Chlorinated solvents and benzene were present in the subsurface left by past site activities requiring ongoing active remediation over a several year period. The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board oversaw the site remediation efforts, which included soil excavation and operation of a soil vapor extraction system to remove the majority of the contaminants. Although these efforts effectively removed most of the contamination, lower concentrations remained in the soil gas, prompting the need for a vapor mitigation solution. The environmental consultant and their client chose TerraShield® to provide the maximum protection available to protect future retail tenants from potential exposure to harmful chlorinated solvent and benzene vapors. TerraShield was installed at grade, terminating at a concrete slab in the building that remained following soil excavation activities. Retro-Coat™, a chemical-resistant surface coating effective in mitigating vapor intrusion, was also applied to the existing concrete slab and used as a finished floor surface.
Former Landfill Site is Redeveloped Using TerraShield
Project snapshot highlights:
- Brownfield Redevelopment Tuscaloosa Waterfront
- Former Landfill Resulting in Mix of Soil Gases
- 18,000 Square Feet Installed
A brownfield redevelopment project included construction of a new hotel near Tuscaloosa’s Riverfront. The project increases room capacity for the city, allowing it to draw in more tourism from sporting and business events. The project site was once a former landfill resulting in a mix of soil gas vapors containing chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons and methane. In order to prevent vapor intrusion into the new building, the certified applicators installed over 18,000 square feet of TerraShield®, in conjunction with an active venting system. Based on the range of contaminants and various concentrations exceeding regulatory screening levels, the TerraShield vapor barrier offered the highest level of protection against VI, as well as long term assurance that occupants would be protected should the active system ever shut off. Coupling the TerraShield barrier with active venting enabled this brownfield property to be converted into productive use for the city.