Building Statistics

General Data

Building System Information

Architecture:

The New School of Business and Public Management was designed as a single, monumental, distinctive facility that would reflect the open nature of exchanging ideas. The building is being erected as an addition to the existing building on the George Washington campus near downtown Washington DC. Upon completion, the new building will provide students and faculty with classrooms, interaction areas, faculty and staff offices, and will become a facility which allows the school to interact with alumni, business, professional, and governmental organizations. The south west corner of the building displays a pillar of glass which houses study lounges for students. These lounges will be lit during the night time to create a welcoming beacon of light. The first floor has a majority of student spaces, including an auditorium, a café, a student lounge, a market lab, a classroom and a larger lobby area that is open to the floor above. Individual areas are provided for facets such as graduate students, faculty, and the dean’s office. There is a terrace on the 6th floor for the dean’s office

It is a mixed use building, including post secondary education classrooms and offices, low hazard storage and parking and assembly. The hazard storage is for a fuel oil storage room located in the lower level of the garage.

Building Envelope:

The addition will be post-tensioned concrete slab with concrete column construction and pre-cast concrete panel exterior enclosure. The two levels of underground parking garage will share the existing ramp system. Egress means are meant to function separately from Funger Hall, except on the underground garage levels.
The majority of the exterior is clad in pre-cast concrete. To add character to the building, the portions of the P1 level above grade are clad in stone, which is also used for all exterior benches which are integrated into the exterior of the building. Above the main entrance is a glass and steel canopy. There are coated aluminum composite panels along the east side, behind which are the mechanical rooms. The roof is topped above the 6th floor and has a composite aluminum cornice running around the top of the building. On the roof is the penthouse, which is clad in EIFS and houses some of the electrical systems.

• Height limit was 90’, with the total lot being a size of the lot being 92,577 sf while 75% of that was allowed for occupancy purposes. Any structure on the roof could only be 18.6’ and could only take up .37 of the floor space.

Major National Codes:

Construction:

The construction on the new addition is type 1B or equivalently modified type 2A. Demolition was done on portions of the existing school so that the new building could be tied in. There was no existing building on the proposed site for the addition, so building demolition was not necessary. Construction is expected to be completed in December 2005.

Electrical:

A new power distribution system was provided for the new addition to the Business School with the main feed for the building coming from existing Funger Hall. The main feed is run into three 15KV switchgears, which in turn distribute the power into the rest of the building. The switchgears step the power down to a 3 phase 120/208 V power for receptacles, a 3 phase 480/277 V system for lighting and motor loads, and a 3 phase 120/208 V system for receptacle loads that are on an isolated ground system. The switchgears are on the lowest floor, P2 and feed the rest of the building from there. All conduits are run vertically through the electrical rooms by way of a cut out in each floor of the electrical room.

The motor control center is on the roof in the penthouse. There is a 250 kw 480/277V generator in the penthouse as well. The generator provides power for the building, 480/277 V power for lighting which is stepped down to 208/120 V for the motor systems in the building.

Electrical Power Systems Description (Provided by Il Kim at Smith Group Inc.)
A. General

1. The electrical power for the new addition will be fed from the existing spare 15 KV switch in the existing switchgear room on the P2 level of Funger Hall to the new electrical room in the new addition. This electrical room will be a main source of the electrical power distribution which will include a 15 KV load interrupter switch, 2500 KVA, 13.2 KV- 480/277 volt, 3 phase, 4 wire, dry type transformer, a 4000 amp, 480/277 volt, 3 phase, 4 wire distribution switchboard, all distribution panels, one 300 KVA, 480-208/120 volt, 3 phase, 4 wire K-13 rated transformer for the computer loads, one 300 KVA, 480-208/120 volt, 3 phase, 4 wire transformer for the general purpose loads, and a 45 KVA 480-208/120 volt, 3 phase, 4 wire transformer for the emergency loads.

B. Emergency Power Distribution

1. There will be a 200 KW, 480/277 volt, 3 phase, 4 wire diesel generators on the penthouse in weather proof enclosure for the emergency loads including a fire pump, an elevator, emergency lights, the stair pressurization fans and the life safety loads.

C. Lighting Systems

1. The interior lighting system in the new addition will consist of fluorescent fixtures with parabolic louvers in most areas, compact fluorescent recessed down lights and decorative incandescent or halogen lights in the lobbies and conference rooms. The fluorescent lights will be equipped with the energy saving T-8 lamps and electronic ballast, All light switches will be ivory with off-white cover plates and rated for 120/277 volt, 2-pole, quiet type.

2. Motion sensors (occupancy sensors) will be utilized to control lighting in private office, workstation task lights.

3. The emergency and exit lights will be provided along the paths of egress in accordance with NFPA 101. The exit lights will be provided with LED lamps.

D. Receptacles

1. All non-isolated ground receptacles will be ivory colored with stainless steel cover plates. The receptacles will be NEMA 5-20R, rated for 125 volt, 2-pole, ground type in most areas. The isolated ground receptacles will be orange colored, NEMA 5-20R, rated for 125 volt, 2-pole, grounding type, orange in color.

E. Fire Alarm System

1. The fire alarm system for the new addition will be extended from existing fire alarm system that was upgraded three years ago. The fire alarm system will be shall be solid state, multiplex, addressable fire alarm system that consists of graphic annunciation panel at the new entrance lobby, manual pull stations, audio/visual devices for the high rise building, flow switches, tamper switches, smoke and heat detectors.

2. The fire alarm extender panels will be provided in the electrical closet if necessary.

3. All smoke and heat detector bases will be universal mounting base.

4. The fire alarm system will be connected between the building security system and the campus central security console.

5. The fire alarm system can be monitored from a desktop computer and a printer can provide output of every fire alarm activities.

6. The smoke and heat detectors for the elevator system will be interfaced with the elevator controllers for the elevator recall and shut down requirements.

The lighting for the interior building is all fluorescent lights. Fluorescent lights were chosen for their efficiency and longer life than most other lamps. The classrooms were primarily lit with direct indirect lights with accenting light in the classrooms for the white boards in the front of the room. Hallways are lit with 2x2 troffers, and most of the main lobby areas use the 2x2’s as well. Ceiling washes are used to create ambient light in the lobbies so that all the light is not direct.

The student lounges in the corner of the building are unique. Because they are surrounded with glass, the lighting was important in this space as to create a light tower at night. Compact fluorescent lights were used to make the space functional for students wishing to study in the lounge. Fluorescent wall washers are used on the two walls which can be seen from outside. This is to create a bright back ground and a glowing surface to be seen at night.

The exterior of the building and the parking garage were lit with Metal Halides. Most garages usually have high pressure sodium lights installed, but metal halide was used here to provide a whiter light. The exterior is lit simply. Spot lights light the walk ways around the building, and provide washes and spots on the more important parts of the building.

The majority of the rooms in the building take advantage of dimming capabilities. Each classroom and learning area has preset dimming settings so the light levels can easily be changed on a whim. This system is set up to include occupancy sensors that will also determine if the lights should be shut off or not. This saves energy by automatically shutting off lights when they are left on.

Mechanical:

Two garage exhausts vents are run with the elevator and exit with the elevator shafts. Two air conditioners were placed in the top floor with the elevator motors and exhaust to help control the temperature level. Supply fans have been placed on the P2 and P1 level to provide air throughout the building. Condensing units are supplied throughout the building.

The primary cooling source for the building is chilled water provided by the refrigeration plant located in the penthouse, which will be distributed from cooling coils of the various air-handing units. Cooling towers are provided to cool the condenser by vaporization. AHU preheat coils supply heated hot water. The unit heaters and perimeter finned tube convector pumps are located in the adjacent Funger Hall along with a steam to hot water heat exchanger. There are two central station air handling unit provided per floor in the mechanical equipment rooms, and the air handling units provide different climate controls for the varying spaces throughout the building.

Structural:

The addition will be post-tensioned concerete slab with concrete column construction and pre-cast concrete panel exterior enclosure. Live loads were calculated according to BOCA code 1996 with the roof life load being 65 lbs/sq ft for raid load. Footing for the structure are minimum 2.5’ below grade. Post tension design is designated on the drawing with final force and tendon profile for each column beam or girder is provided on the drawing. Adequate lateral bracing was required, particularly in the pit walls in the basement during construction.

Fire Protection:

To provide safety to occupants of the building the system is set to visually and audibly indicate an alarm, transmit the alarm signal to remote station equipment, sound and display local fire alarm notification appliances, transmit signals to elevator control panels, transmit signals to release door hold open devices and electric locks at egress doors. Water flow switches are also provided with double check valve assembly and tamper proof switches. The building is also protected by a wet pipe sprinkler fire suppression system and a dry pipe sprinkler fire suppression system.

Plumbing:

In the lower basement, a sewage ejector and storm sump pump are provided to help with water loads. The loads are regulated with a high low domestic hot water manifold station with domestic water pressure regulating valves with mutlitple thermostatic mixing valves to pipe water of varying pressure and with inlet stop checking valves to help regulate the temperature on the outlet.

Telecommunications:

The business school is set up with a variety of telecommunication systems. The Ethernet and voice wires are run separately from the other conduit, having been provided with their own cable trays in accordance to the wishes of GWU. All class rooms are provided with Ethernet access, with the majority of the rooms having the Ethernet wires core-drilled into the furniture and run through it. All classrooms are also provided with junction boxes for Professors to use along with TV outlets and speakers to better present various multimedia. All offices are provided with Ethernet and phone access as well.

Transportation:

There are four elevators that access all the floors of the building, and their motors and other accessories are located on the penthouse in the roof, with elevator 4 being classified for freight use. One elevator provides access from the two parking garage levels to the first floor elevator banks. The elevators runs on 480 volt 3 phase system with an automatic transfer switch for switching to emergency power upon the loss of power. This must be able to signal the elevator and let it know the normal power was interrupted and contacts that let the elevator know when power is being switched to emergency and back from emergency. Operate at 75 horsepower. Two enclosed stairs are located on either side of the building, these elevators stretch from the basement to the 6th floor with one accessing the penthouse. There is also an open stairway in the main lobby connecting the first and second floor.

Special Systems:

Security systems are run through emergency power. The stair wells are equipped with electric door locks. The main entrances, including the garage entrances and the stair well doors, are equipped with door contacts. Cameras on closed circuit television circuit are provided through the building. Also, panic buttons and red and blue light emergency lights are provided in case the need should arise for the building to be evacuated. Keypads and glassbreak detectors have also bee provided to allow for an extra degree of safety. There are also occupancy sensors in the rooms to turn on lights if someone should enter.