The Lower Sioux Indian Community, proprietors of the Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel, had encountered recurrent mold growth in multiple rooms within Wing One and Two of the hotel complex. Wing One was constructed in 1995/1996, followed by the addition of Wing Two in 1999. These wings cater to guests of both the hotel and casino. This six-story two-wing hotel has a combined area of approximately 132,300 square feet. In 2008, Wing Three was added to the hotel, increasing the total hotel complex area to approximately 325,000 square feet.
Hotel staff reported mold growth in multiple rooms of Wing One during the years 2002 and 2003. Subsequently, in the summer of 2005, hotel staff began reporting mold growth in multiple rooms of Wing Two. Notably, hotel staff have never reported mold growth in Wing Three.
Between 2005 and 2017, multiple remediation projects were attempted to address the mold growth issues. However, mold growth in Wing One and Two persisted as a problem. In 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic closure of the hotel, mold growth became a significant issue in many rooms of Wing One and Wing Two.
After the hotel opened again for service in the summer of 2020, CR-BPS was retained to conduct an evaluation and building diagnostic analysis to assess the root cause of the mold growth and provide a report on the findings and recommendations to remediate mold growth.
Services Provided
We hired CR-BPS to perform an in-depth analysis to determine the problem and underlying cause and identify a cost-effective solution. They were timely, very professional and a pleasure to work with. The architectural construction documents were thorough and complete."
Jason Sommers, Property Director
Gallery
Challenges
Jackpot Junction was experiencing repeated mold growth problem in its hotel Wings One and Wing Two.”
Jason Sommers, Property Director
Approach
Finding the cause of moisture problems takes careful attention to understanding how moisture flows in and out of a building. Combine this with knowing the likelihood of any building design or construction method to create the opportunity for water to accumulate (setting up a condition for mold to grow), and you will have the ingredients to identify the root cause.
Once the cause has been identified, the next step is to follow a proven process that follows critical steps to ensure the design and construction of the fix are prevented from happening in the future. This proven process includes using design details supported by building science and a building envelope commissioning effort that assures the design’s construction is done correctly before it is covered up.
The image to the right shows a polyethylene vapor barrier below a course gravel bladder in the floor assembly leading to ground water being trapped between the slab and the vapor barrier.
Jim was a great resource and right on top of the issues from the forensic analysis through construction and commissioning. He was committed to our project’s success, always there when we needed and still follows up today. Tari was great to work with and on top of the issues.”
Jason Sommers, Property Director
Results
CR-BPS’s evaluation and building diagnostics determined that the primary cause of mold growth in hotel rooms was attributed to a moisture source originating from the ground beneath the first-floor slab-on-grade foundation system of Wing One. The high moisture content of the subgrade beneath the foundation and the hotel’s ventilation system migrated excessive moisture into the hotel interior. Furthermore, the existing HVAC system could not maintain appropriate relative humidity levels within Wing One and Two.
Additionally, contributing factors to the excessive mold growth on the conjoining walls of the hotel rooms included the vinyl wall coverings of the conjoining walls and the occasional wetting of the carpet from the Package Terminal Conditioning (PTC) units.
After CR-BPS’s report was received by Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel management, the Lower Sioux Indian Community retained CR-BPS to provide architectural design, construction administration, and commissioning services for a mold remediation project. The project’s main scope of work was to remove and install a vapor-closed poly sheeting that was in direct contact with the concrete slab and retrofit the hotel’s HVAC system. The project scope also included the removal of all vapor-closed vinyl wall covering, remediating the mold from wall surfaces, and repainting walls with vapor-open paint.
The analysis, recommendations and cost estimates were thorough and gave our GM the information needed to explain the situation to decision makers and secure the financial support needed to solve the problem.”
Jason Sommers, Property Director