Urban Outfitters Floating Garden
Urban Outfitters, Inc., is a large clothing and accessory retailer offering the brand names of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Leifsdottir, and Terrain. Urban's corporate headquarters is located at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River.
As part of the master plan for their facilities, they desired to construct floating hydroponic gardens in Dry Dock #1. The challenge was to create individual gardens in the shape of 4 distinct letters: URBN (this is Urban's designation on the Nasdaq).
The completed letter assembly would need to be nearly 30 feet high and 150 feet long. In addition to the gardens, a trash boom spanning nearly 100 feet long had to be installed at the mouth of the dry dock to prevent debris from entering the dry dock.
To accomplish their vision, Urban contracted with BoardSafe to make their plan a reality. The initial concept drawings were completed by the landscape architectural firm D.I.R.T. Studio of Charlottesville, Virginia. BoardSafe then took the concept drawings and designed a floating structure that not only included the floating letters, but also a massive underwater support structure connecting the letters together.
In addition to holding the letters together, the support structure allowed the entire assembly to move up and down with the fluctuation of the tide. The challenge was to make the entire structure "non-permanent" so the use of the dry dock could be changed at any time. The trash boom presented the same challenge. To facilitate the easy removal of the assemblies, powder-coated steel I-beams were attached vertically to the side of the dry dock in 6 locations, providing an attachment point for the underwater boom assemblies.
On the end of each boom, a roller assembly travels up and down the I-beams, following the tidal elevation. The letter frames, booms, underwater support structure, and trash boom, were fabricated from aluminum and then powder-coated black. Once each letter was assembled on land, a plastic Brillo©-like material was installed and the different species of vegetation were planted. A 2-foot high fence was then constructed to outline each letter. The fence serves two purposes: to keep wildlife from nesting in the gardens, and to delineate each letter once the plants began to grow.
All components were assembled on land, then installed using a crane, workers on the ground, and scuba divers.
Conshohocken, PA, Rowing Center Features BoardSafe Aluminum Docks and Products
One of the centers of the rowing community in the United States is Boathouse Row in Philadelphia. Rowers from the boathouses compete at every level, including local clubs, high schools, colleges, summer racing programs, and international-level athletics. The newest and finest facility in the area is not at Boathouse Row, but a few miles upstream.
Conshohocken is located just north of Philadelphia, PA, on the Schuylkill River. The Conshohocken Rowing Center was unveiled in October 2014. The state-of-the-art facility is a 6-bay building that houses The Haverford School , Malvern Preparatory School, and the Borough of Conshohocken. The operation of the building is a public and private relationship that encourages local and youth rowing. Because rowing is serious business in Philadelphia, the members of Conshohocken Rowing Center wanted the best dock builder they could find.
They did not have to look hard to find Pennsylvania-based BoardSafe, a trusted and expert dock builder with projects up and down the east coast. BoardSafe custom-designed, manufactured, and installed the docks and the observation deck.
The observation deck is an aluminum frame dock with Nylodeck synthetic wood, featuring the TimberStrong fastening system. The large observation deck was designed to provide great views and accommodate several hundred fans. The deck runs along the rear of the rowing center building and was engineered to cantilever over the riverbank. It measures 24-feet by 122-feet and features:
- a concrete foundation system (engineered by Innovative Marine Solutions , a sister company of BoardSafe - PE stamped drawings).
- a galvanizedstructural steel support frame (also engineered by Innovative Marine Solutions - PE stamped drawings).
- fifteen (15) 8-foot-by-24-foot aluminum joist system panels.
- a 42-inch high ultra aluminum rail - powder-coated black.
- docks designed to provide a 6-inch freeboard under no live load. The docks are BoardSafe Commercial Aluminum, featuring NyloDeck (Desert Spice color) attached to the frame with the TimberStrong fastening system.
- steel frame components, aluminum panels, decking, and railings, installed by Innovative Marine Solutions employees.
As impressive as the observation deck is, the floating docks and structure are unparalleled (scroll down to watch aerial videography of the project).
The floating docks project includes:
- one main aluminum dock measuring 10-feet wide by 360-feet long.
- six finger piers and three support arms.
- a 42-inch high ultra aluminum rail - powder-coated black
- The docks were designed to provide a 6-inch freeboard under no live load. The docks are BoardSafe Commercial Aluminum, featuring NyloDeck (Desert Spice color) attached to the frame with the TimberStrong fastening system.
All of the steel frame components, aluminum panels, decking, and railings, were installed by BoardSafe.
BoardSafe specializes in manufacturing aluminum docks, gangways, and rowing centers, all in the USA. If you have a rowing center or marina project and you would like to learn more, visit BoardSafeDocks.com or call 610-899-0286.
Commercial Aluminum Piers
Commercial Aluminum Piers
Our commercial aluminum piers can be built to your specificaitons or you can chose from one of our standard sizes. BoardSafe manufacturers commercial aluminum piers and bridges using heavy duty 100 Series Aluminum extrusion. BoardSafe uses the highest quality materials including marine grade 6160 aluminum, proprietary extruded aluminum frame, and synthetic lumber featuring Timberstrong hidden fastening system. The piers and bridges are designed for marine applications at lakes, marshes, rivers and other areas with water. BoardSafe designs and manufacturers products that meet construction requirements as well as special applications like ADA requirements and accessories for accessibility for all.
Watch the below video of the installation of a commercial aluminum bridge designed and manufactured by BoardSafe. The aluminum bridge is approximately 30 feet long and has ADA accessibility features. It extends over a dam at a lake and connects a walking path that circles the lake.