Public Television Digital Conversion Building, Wausau, WI
Rib Mountain State Park
The Public Television Digital Conversion Building in Wausau is a state-owned facility designed for a joint venture of public and private industry. The partners involved in the project are Wisconsin Public Television, WAOW-TV 9, WSAW-TV 7, and Wisconsin Education Communication Board, which store their digital television transmission equipment and radio transmission equipment for the Wisconsin State Patrol.
This building is located at one of the highest points in Wisconsin on top of Rib Mountain at Rib Mountain State Park. A rudimentary requirement of construction was to maintain the project site in the most park-like setting. The physical sizes of diesel powered generator played an important role in the design and constructions of the building. Heavy metal galvanized grating was installed to protect the generators and heating equipment from falling ice and snow. Because of unavailability of water, an indoor 2,500 gallon water storage tank was also included in the design.
The job site and staging area also presented challenges due to the location of the building. Over 1,200 cubic yards of rock had to be removed from the site so the building could sit at a low elevation in order to blend into the natural park setting. Two existing 600’ television towers - with magnetic fields surrounding the towers - made hauling of rocks and the construction of the building a process performed with extreme caution.
Owner
State of Wisconsin
Architect
HGM Architecture
Square Footage
15,674