Heavy rains have pounded the city of Houston this fall. The University of Houston weathered these strong storms, but not without experiencing serious damage to two facilities: the Lamar Fleming Building and Fred J. Heyne Building.

The exterior waterproofing on both of these facilities could not withstand the substantial amount of rain that fell onto the campus. As a result, water began leaking into both buildings. Primary areas that were affected include Fleming’s chemistry labs and storage rooms.

While the Fleming and Heyne buildings had been slated for renovation at a later date, UH will now fast track these repairs.

“It’s imperative that we tackle this problem as soon as possible,” said Dave Irvin, associate vice president of plant operations.

Repairs to the exterior waterproofing on Fleming and Heyne will begin during the holiday break in December and are estimated to conclude in March. The most disruptive aspects of the project are scheduled to take place during periods when faculty, staff and students are not on campus.

“We’re starting the project during the break because the onset of the repairs will involve digging trenches around these buildings. By the time the campus community returns in January, we’ll have temporary entrances and walkways for people to use.”

Following a massive excavation around both buildings, each building’s exterior drains will be replaced with new materials and a synthetic waterproofing material will be applied to all of Fleming and Heyne’s exterior walls.

The repairs to Fleming will cost approximately $250,000 and those to Heyne will cost $150,000. Funding for both projects come from the university’s deferred maintenance budget. Irvin is now conducting a search for contractors to assist with the repairs.

“We realize that the recent water leaks have posed an inconvenience and will work to get both of these buildings back in tip top shape by mid-spring,” Irvin said. “I plan to communicate with people in both Fleming and Heyne to keep them up to date with where there projects are and how they may affect pedestrian traffic in and out of these facilities.”

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu