Southeast : Leaks Plague Pyramid at Cal State Long Beach

They just don’t make pyramids like they used to.

Cal State Long Beach recently built a $22-million, state-of-the-art sports complex in the shape of a pyramid, but since December, the structure has been plagued by leaky walls.

Construction crews have been working to fix the leaks for nearly a year, and they don’t anticipate finishing the job for another two weeks.

Wednesday’s rain added a bit of urgency to the project. Volleyball season is under way and basketball home games are scheduled to begin soon under the Pyramid’s roof. In addition, school officials would like to see the job completed before the building’s first birthday, Nov. 30.

The recent rains produced no puddles in the building, but officials said the storm was too light to provide a real test for the walls.

The Pyramid first sprang leaks in December and puddles soon damaged the beechwood slats of the Pyramid’s basketball court. Rainwater also damaged some drywall and insulation, all of which had to be replaced or repaired by the construction company.

Officials said the leaks are particularly challenging to fix because of the pyramid’s unique design.

“There’s no other roof that we know of like this,” said Scott Charmack, university vice president in charge of campus construction. “There aren’t many pyramids in the country.”

The university has a 20-year insurance policy on the roof in case the fix doesn’t hold up. Caulking sealed most of the leaks earlier this year, but the company that constructed the building is hurrying to repair a few remaining drips so it can collect from the university a final $1 million for completing the structure.