The WSFS Bank Sportsplex is a world-class sports complex located just outside of Philadelphia in Chester, PA. It spans 32 acres between Subaru Park and the Union Power Plant office building and is part of greater plans to redevelop the waterfront along the Delaware River.
The Sportsplex will include a 100,000 square foot indoor facility that will be available for community use and an adjacent 70,000 square foot support building that will house Philadelphia Union II (MLS NEXT Pro) as well as the Philadelphia Union Academy.
The project is under construction in two phases: Phase I focuses on the completion of seven outdoor multi-sports fields while Phase II builds out the indoor facilities such as a performance center, courts, space for athletic training, and a café for athletes and guests.
Formerly used for manufacturing purposes, this brownfields site has seen over a century of chemical waste as its history dates back to the Industrial Revolution. Consequently, a vapor barrier was required as a preemptive measure to protect the indoor spaces, and 170,000 square feet of Geo-Seal 60 was ultimately installed. 
Due to constriction schedules, installation took place through the late fall and winter months – a time of year that can present added challenges to installation. Third party vapor barrier inspector Nick Piane (Project Manager, Verdantas) explained, “Although weather conditions were not ideal, installation of the vapor barrier system was done seamlessly during the late fall and winter months.”
He added, “From my previous experiences, installing a spray-applied system in below freezing temperatures presents challenges, but we did a did a great job collaborating with Budget Maintenance, EPRO and BPGS. Regular communication from all parties involved allowed us to schedule installation and inspections to work around weather-related obstacles.”
The excellent communication between all trades enabled this part of the project to move forward easily.
“Budget Maintenance worked to have each area prepped in advance, and things overall went very smoothly,” Piane says. “In addition, we were able to foresee unexpected issues that arose – which weren’t many - just a few design questions, which meant we had to think on the fly, but this experience helped us flex our knowledge and expertise working with the product.”
Geo-Seal 60 provides a cost-effective alternative for sites desiring a preemptive mitigation solution, but that also require a vapor intrusion barrier that is more robust and resistant to construction traffic than simple single sheet membranes. The system is great for use on larger sites as it provides effective chemical resistance and the ability to create robust seals around penetrations and termination points.
The Verdantas team were extremely pleased with support from the EPRO team and its suite of products, plus additional QA/QC measures on site that ensured the system was installed successfully – which provided peace of mind.
“We really like EPRO’s products in general over others we have seen on the market right now,” Piane says. “In particular, we appreciate the spray applied aspect of Geo-Seal 60 and the required third-party inspection to ensure that the barrier is actually functioning. That level of assurance is exactly what you want to provide for the end user.”