Moisture Problems Cause Floor Failure at University of Illinois

The $60 million LEED-certified Business Instructional Facility at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign opened in 2008, and by its third summer, the 7,700-square-foot wood floor in its central atrium was looking "like a topography map" due to buckling. After multiple repairs, university officials recently opted to replace the entire floor to the tune of $300,000.

Thermosoft Radiant Flooring Business a Bright Spot in Otherwise Difficult Housing Industry.The original ?-inch-thick "parquet-like" floor was recommended by architects Pelli Clarke Pelli, who designed the "BIF." A band of cork surrounded the old floor, but it couldn't absorb all the expansion. During the course of repairs, a large section of wood was even replaced with carpet to help relieve some of the pressure.

Inspections revealed the materials, construction and installation were sound. The source of the moisture was humidity, not a leaky utility pipe. To replace the old floor, officials chose a recycled plank floor comprising multiple species. The cost of the new floor was covered by private donations instead of state financing.