Hiro McNulty

Technical Assignments

Thesis Proposal (pdf) (Updated 1/16/06 with minor revisions)
-Executive Summary (pdf) (No updates required.)
-Breadth Summary (pdf) (No updates required.)

The proposal for the thesis research is to re-design the structural systems of the tower to attempt to reduce the building weight and the seismic loads on the structure. )In the original design, the seismic loading was not considered.) The breadth research will look into the impact on the cost of the structure and the impact on the mechanical systems.

Technical Assignment 1 (pdf)
-Executive Summary 1 (pdf)

The first technical assignment looks at the existing conditions and a general overview of the structural systems of the building. The report describes the structural systems being implemented in the design. It includes the building codes used, materials, design loads, member design checks, and other structural design information. Updated loads have been calculated for wind and seismic loads, based on new building codes.

Technical Assignment 2 (pdf)
-Executive Summary 2 (pdf)

The second technical assignment looks at the existing floor system and does a pro-con study of four alternate floor systems. The alternative floors selected are: 1-way concrete slab wtih joists, 2-way flat slab with drop panels, non-composite steel beams, and open-web steel joists. Preliminary analysis has been done on each of the systems and the typical bay layouts are included in the report.

Technical Assignment 3 (pdf)
-Executive Summary 3 (pdf)

The third technical assignment looks at the lateral force resisting systems in the building. The concrete moment frames of the tower and the steel braced frames of the conference center have been analyzed based on the load combinations in ASCE 7-02 and the loads developed in the first technical assignment. The analysis looks at the current design and also looks at the addition of the seismic loading cases that were not used in the original design.