Hearst Castle

Historic

Completed in 1936, William Randolph Hearst’s Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle was renovated through the California State Parks Capital Improvement Program, which involved total replacement of the pool shell tiles after the discovery of natural asbestos during demolition. In the end, the project scope required removing all tile, installing waterproofing throughout the poor interior, and replicating the intricate marble tile finish.

Leaky plumbing

An investigation of the pool systems within the service tunnels below the pool found that several pipes and conduits necessitated proper identification and terminations. Furthermore, an abandoned electrical conduit penetrating the tunnel ceiling was not properly capped and provided an avenue for dramatic water intrusion during storms.

Holding water

Original cast iron piping had eroded to the point of failure, and Terracon’s staff designed a modern replacement to withstand the difficult conditions. In the filter area, all embedded iron pipe fittings needed removal, prompting repair of the concrete structure, installing waterproofing on the interior surfaces, and replacing all filter media. When coring out the historic ferrous pipe fittings, it was discovered that the existing concrete structure was denser than anticipated, and Terracon developed new repair details to match the historic conditions, and provided waterproof piping penetrations through the multiple filter vessels. The pool refill process began in August 2018, and has successfully held water since.