701 Moore Avenue
Lewisburg, PA

The Kenneth G. Langone Recreation and Athletics Center at Bucknell University was completed in 2003 and included a renovation of the existing athletic facilities as well as the addition of the 45,000 sq-ft Arthur D. Kinney Jr. Natatorium (see photos) and the 70,000 sq-ft Gary A. Sojka Pavilion.

Steel was chosen as the best option for construction in order to minimize the weight of the structure due to potential sinkholes in the ground below, span very long distances, and meet a fast track schedule. CMC Joist & Deck engineered and manufactured over 165 tons of joists and 1300 squares of deck for this project. Kinney Natatorium, home to the university swimming, diving and water polo teams houses a 25 by 50 meter pool with a seating capacity of 500. The joists for the natatorium span up to 128 feet at a depth of 96 inches in order to extend over the pool and seating areas. Three inch cellular acoustic roof deck allows for a joist spacing of over 10 feet. Through coordination with an outside vendor we were able to offer special paint coatings for both the joists and deck so that they could withstand the natatorium’s environment and provide a fire rating when necessary. With seating for 4,000 Sojka Pavilion hosts basketball games, concerts and other campus events. The deep long span triple pitched joists used to construct parts of the roof of the pavilion reached a length of nearly 160 feet and a depth of 146 inches. In order to limit the joists to only a single splice, we accommodated delivery of up to 80 foot sections. The deck featured G90 galvanized roof, composite, and form deck. This project illustrates how CMC Joist & Deck’s sales, engineering, and production teams can provide the versatility and coordination needed for extraordinary projects.