Flooding in the University of Wisconsin Engineering Centers Building Wednesday disrupted class, labs and student organizations for the week — forcing them to relocate. 

A chilled water system pipe on the top floor of the building burst, sending 55,000 gallons of water through the building, according to UW director of media relations and strategic communications Kelly Tyrrell. All floors of the building were damaged, and estimates on cost and repair time have not yet been determined.

Classes and labs held in the building were canceled Thursday, and the cancellation was extended to the week of Sept. 25-29, according to a UW press release. Anything usually scheduled in the building has been relocated to other buildings around campus, the press release said.

Mechanical engineering student Zach Bath has dealt with issues as a result of the flooding. Bath is the battery lead of the Wisconsin Racing team, which is a Formula Society of Automotive Engineers team. The team takes part in an international collegiate competition where students design, build, and compete with a small scale open wheel prototype racecar, according to the Formula SAE website.

“I was in the Engineering Centers Building working when the flood occurred,” Bath said. “I was doing some cell characterization in our shop, which is located in the Engineering Centers Building … and we had to evacuate the building.”

Bath and his teammates were allowed into the building with an escort to retrieve items Wednesday, but have not been able to go back in since. The timeline for designing and building the cars is strict, so Wisconsin Racing has canceled events and is unsure whether they will be able to go to a competition this weekend. 

Because their office is located in the building, members have had to work from home, which has been frustrating, according to Bath. 

“We haven’t gotten too much information as far as when we’ll be able to get back in the shop working, obviously we have our team priorities,” Bath said. “As a team, even though we are located in the building and work within the building every day, the only updates that we get are the ones every single person on campus gets, which is just from the Dean.”

The main updates received came through the faculty advisor for Wisconsin Racing, while the campus announcements have been more general information, Bath said. 

The Engineering Centers Building remains closed to the public, with limited scheduled and escorted visits as the only entry permitted, according to the UW press release. Further class relocations will be reevaluated after this week depending on advancements on the recovery.