Traveling

[Ulysses]

Still looking for the name of the luxury RV I saw at the racetrack back in the 90s.

The older ones with the pleated aluminum slab exteriors must be durable, although I do wonder if sealing the joins against water intrusion is a bit of a headache. But then the swanky ones must also have plenty of roof-top penetrations, in addition to those roll-out extensions that require gasketing to keep the leaks, both water and air, to a minimum.

At this point I'm tempted to toss some junk in the van and go visit my teenage retreat down by Hollister. I need a break.

[O Really]

Still looking for the name of the luxury RV I saw at the racetrack back in the 90s.

The older ones with the pleated aluminum slab exteriors must be durable, although I do wonder if sealing the joins against water intrusion is a bit of a headache. But then the swanky ones must also have plenty of roof-top penetrations, in addition to those roll-out extensions that require gasketing to keep the leaks, both water and air, to a minimum.

At this point I'm tempted to toss some junk in the van and go visit my teenage retreat down by Hollister. I need a break.

Motorcoaches and pretty much all RV trailers have molded fibreglass sides. Roofs are also fibreglass, with a thick coating on the outside. We get ours inspected and re-coated from time to time. You've got to have good seals around the A/C unit(s), vents, antennae, etc., but they're designed well in good units. The slide-outs have rubber gasketing, and in some units do have leaking issues, but not so much water.

[Ulysses]

Hm. I thought the old Winnebago design was made of corrugated aluminum.

[O Really]

Hm. I thought the old Winnebago design was made of corrugated aluminum.

Waaay back in the day, like this 1972 model, there was an aluminum skin, but that hasn't been used on motorhomes in decades.

[Ulysses]

Back when I was riding sport bikes (still have a few, but haven't ridden in years) we used to call touring bikes like the Honda Goldwing, "Motobagos"... LOL

[Vrede too]

Back when I was riding sport bikes (still have a few, but haven't ridden in years) we used to call touring bikes like the Honda Goldwing, "Motobagos"... LOL

Sans helmet any bike can be called a "donorcycle".

[neoplacebo]

Hm. I thought the old Winnebago design was made of corrugated aluminum.

Waaay back in the day, like this 1972 model, there was an aluminum skin, but that hasn't been used on motorhomes in decades.

That thing looks like it should have never left the drawing board. The wheelbase is comically short and could easily have been longer. I bet I could flip this thing over in a tight turn at about 35mph, preferably with two or three pots of boiling water going on the stove. As for leaks, it looks to me like the only place for any leaks is on top and around the windows. The sides seem to be long horizontal metal strips or sheets that are covered at top and front and back with trim strips. Plus, not ever having observed one of these being assembled, I would imagine there's some sort of plastic or other barrier between the outer skin and the finished interior.

[O Really]

I never owned one of those beasts, but I had a friend who lent me his a couple of times. It was several years old at the time so it would have been a 72 or 73ish - very similar to this one. Drove about how you'd expect from its looks - big square box on a Dodge truck frame. The brochure from back then was fun to read, though -

https://www.rvroundtable.com/wp-content ... .Brave.pdf

[billy.pilgrim]

I never owned one of those beasts, but I had a friend who lent me his a couple of times. It was several years old at the time so it would have been a 72 or 73ish - very similar to this one. Drove about how you'd expect from its looks - big square box on a Dodge truck frame. The brochure from back then was fun to read, though -

https://www.rvroundtable.com/wp-content ... .Brave.pdf

I'm sold. "It's a dream house built by people who care."

[neoplacebo]

It could also have said that it's "a death trap built by a company focused exclusively on profit." It's sort of like how if Harley Davidson put out a Honda ad saying "you meet the nicest people on a Harley" and have pics and video of Hells Angels members celebrating their freedom in the land of milk and honey.

[neoplacebo]

It's always been my dream to have a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home. This one in Michigan is up for sale.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/frank-l ... 00224.html

[billy.pilgrim]

It's always been my dream to have a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home. This one in Michigan is up for sale.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/frank-l ... 00224.html

We rented this guy's Master's Thesis for 2 years when we first moved to Auburn. It was way cool funky and the rent was cheap.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/harva ... on-1929592

Nobody likes him anymore since his support of nazis.

It has since been "remuddled". Oh well

Somewhere I have an article about the house and its current condition. Maybe later

[O Really]

It seems that with an expected high in the mid-50's, Anacortes will hold today and tomorrow's record for coldest place in the lower 48. Kinda strange for a place that rarely freezes and has a January average high of mid-upper 40's. And windy. Good day to stay inside and remember how nice the last three days have been.

[neoplacebo]

It's always been my dream to have a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home. This one in Michigan is up for sale.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/frank-l ... 00224.html

We rented this guy's Master's Thesis for 2 years when we first moved to Auburn. It was way cool funky and the rent was cheap.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/harva ... on-1929592

Nobody likes him anymore since his support of nazis.

It has since been "remuddled". Oh well

Somewhere I have an article about the house and its current condition. Maybe later

I never heard of that guy before. I'll stick with Wright.....timeless, elegant, immersive, genius.

[GoCubsGo]

I went to Florida Southern College, the largest single site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings.
https://franklloydwright.org/site/flori ... n-college/




There's also an abundance of homes in Chicagoland, here's a list in my neck of the woods, couple of them are in walking distance.

https://franklloydwrightsites.com/illin ... thern.html

[Ulysses]

Then there's the Marin Civic Center, designed by Wright. He died before it was constructed, but it's perhaps his wildest creation:









(The blue roofing is made of some sort of rubber)

https://franklloydwright.org/site/marin ... ic-center/

[neoplacebo]

Blue roofing rubber is blubber.

[Ulysses]

Blue roofing rubber is blubber.

Or, blrrubber.

However, I may have got it wrong. I remember being told it was a rubber roof. However my latest readings indicates it's actually a concrete roof with multiple layers of extra stuff, maybe including rubber, put down over the years. Now, it's cracked and leaking so they are going to do a complete refit of the roof.

Here's a link: Civic Center Roof Replacement Project

Since the following blurb was written in 2018, I'm guessing the roof redo should be done by now.

The 55-year-old Marin County Civic Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, will soon have its iconic roof replaced. The 220,000 square foot roof was constructed in two phases during the 1960s, and four roof overlays were subsequently installed over the decades. The membrane is now fracturing and peeling, resulting in leaks and substantial fading of the iconic color.

Project scope involves the removal of all the existing roof coatings down to the original substrate of the entire Civic Center and installation of a new Sikalastic Roof Pro fluid applied polyurethane membrane roofing system. The project is anticipated to be performed over a two year period. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2018 and will initially focus on the southernmost section of the Civic Center, which consists of the Administration Wing and the library dome, and then expand to the Hall of Justice. After roofing is complete, DPW intends to refurbish the skylights as a separate project.

[Ulysses]

Update from same link above:

San Rafael, CA – The two-year construction project to rehabilitate the historic Marin County Civic Center roof is nearly three-quarters complete as crews have begun applying the iconic “Marin Blue” color on the Hall of Justice (HOJ) wing. Weather permitting, the intensive project is expected to be completed by early spring 2020.
Birds eye view of the Marin County Civic Center, depicting roof replacement work in progress on the Hall of Justice wing of the building. Once complete, the new roof will be one of the largest construction projects on the Civic Center since it was built in the 1960s.

The rehabilitation work on the southern wing and library dome was completed in March, now proudly sporting the finished Marin Blue color. Since then, the project has been focused on removing the old roofing material from the HOJ wing, which is the northern half of the building. The removal process is intensive, requiring a variety of methods ranging from pressure washing to hammer and chisel. The contractor is approximately 70 percent complete with the removal of the old material.

An eight-foot high expanse of white fabric along the northern wing is in place as a protective enclosure for public safety. It is designed to stop debris, work dust and other particulate materials from leaving the construction area.

Application of the new polyurethane membrane roofing material is now underway on the sections of the HOJ roof that have been cleared. The application of the final blue coat has begun on the northern wing and is approximately 30 percent completed. Concurrently, the gold metal ornamentation and detailing work will be conducted along the entirety of HOJ wing.

Once the Department of Public Works has completed the roof replacement project, work will tentatively begin on refurbishing the building’s skylights. The design process is underway and various implementation options are being considered. The intention is to construct a skylight system that matches the original design plans by Frank Lloyd Wright, the legendary architect who crafted the historic building, while taking precautions against impacts from the elements, such as leaking and warping. The skylights project will be handled separately from the main roof work and is expected to begin construction in summer 2020.

The new roofing system will be durable, resistant to fire and high winds, easy to maintain and includes a comprehensive 20-year warranty. The membrane material is expected to increase the safety and longevity of the iconic building. Through extensive testing, the membrane has shown significant color stability and should maintain the historic building’s look for years to come.

The 470,168-square-foot Civic Center is the largest completed public project that Frank Lloyd Wright designed and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Civic Center is characterized by a concrete roof with distinctive blue coating and stylized ornamentation. Dating to the original construction more than 55 years ago, the roof has had four layers of recoating and patchwork over the decades. Despite several repair projects, the old membrane was beginning to fracture and peel, resulting in leaks and color fading.

In 2015, DPW sought the expertise of independent architectural specialists at Wiss Janney Elstner Associates, Inc., to assess the roof. The company determined that repairs were no longer a solution and the 220,000-square-foot roof needed to be replaced to preserve the historic building.

Once complete, the new roof will be one of the largest construction projects on the Civic Center since it was built in the 1960s. Not accounting for inflation, the Civic Center’s Administration Wing and Hall of Justice originally cost approximately $14.6 million to construct.

In September 2017, the Marin County Board of Supervisors awarded a $17,842,799 contract to Arntz Builders, Inc., a Novato-based company, to direct the project. Rainbow Waterproofing and Restoration Company, which specializes in historically significant landmarks, is handling the removal of the old roof and the construction of the new one.

The project is being funded by the Capital Improvements Fund. The County’s Department of Finance raised the necessary money by refinancing Certificates of Participation, which essentially are bonds for municipal and government agencies, in 2015 when market conditions were favorable.

So I'm guessing the original roof was concrete, covered with some sort of rubber, and then the blue layer. Over time it has deteriorated and now sports four layers, which have or will be removed and replaced with a new polyurethane layer topped by the blue stuff, with a 20 year warranty.

Maybe.

[Ulysses]

Apparently, according to the roofing material mfg Sika, the project was completed by January 2020. Yay.