By performing the following four areas of technical analysis along with the two depths I hope to prove that there are potential areas to improve the construction process of the Pegula Ice Arena located on University Park at the Pennsylvania State University. Associated with many sports facilities the substantial completion date is critical in order to ensure the season can start on time. Therefore, the bulk of my technical analysis will focus on ways to improve the schedule. That is why I chose to focus my work on sequencing the building differently as well as speeding the enclosure time. The work that is done in the spring is believed to improve the construction process and is of my opinion to offer insight into what a construction project team goes through before construction begins.

Analysis 1 | Community Rink Sequence off Critical Path

Removing the community rink off the critical path should benefit the construction means and methods.  It will allow the project team to focus their time, labor and resources on the main rink which is necessary to ensure finishes can start appropriately on time.  In order for this to be possible a structural breadth must be done to redistribute the weight of the mechanical equipment off the community rink trusses and onto some other system.

Analysis 2 | Entire Building Sequence

Such is the case in many sports facilities, schedule is critical.  It is expected that the first scheduled home hockey game will be able to kick-off on time in the new ice arena.  Therefore, determining the most adequate way to sequence the building is extremely important.  Thusly, it is my intention to determine potential ways that the building could be more adequately sequenced to potentially improve schedule and crane exit paths.

Analysis 3 | Prefabricated Brick Façade

The enclosure is always something critical to a project.  On the Pegula Ice Arena there are prefabricated metal wall panels to help enclose the building to allow finish work to be installed.  It is my intention to take this one step further and to prefabricate brick as part of the system in certain areas to remove safety hazards and improve schedule.  There will also be an architectural breadth associated with this to ensure aesthetics are maintained along the newly created joints.

Analysis 4 | Geotechnical Investigation

Prior to construction, a geotechnical investigation was performed using boring samples and ground penetrating radar.  However, misleading information was given as part of this report, specifically concerning the ground penetrating radar.  It is my intention to investigate different methods and equipment concerning geotechnical investigations and determine the most beneficial scenario.

Structural Breadth | Contributes to Technical Analysis 1
This structural breadth will require a structural redesign of the system that supports the community rink roof.  The community rink roof is composed of a truss system that extends the entire length of the roof.  Over part of the roof, closest to the main rink, the roof partially supports mechanical equipment located on the roof above.  The intended redesign of this system will require additional roof supports that will transfer load very similarly into the columns.  The largest area of concern is the uniqueness with which the structural system might need to be.  The air handling units are extremely heavy and therefore cannot simply canopy similar sized beams out slightly.  This is something I am going to need to discuss with one of the structural faculty members to get me started in the right direction.  The other items that will be critical to this is how they relate back to construction concerns.  Specifically, if these connections are highly technical is there going to be extra time and effort through installation.  Also, what are the additional cost impacts from the extra structural supports. 

Architectural Breadth | Contributes to Technical Analysis 3
The architectural breadth will be associated with the brick façade that is going to be hung with a crane for the enclosure.  The area of highest benefit is along the north and south portion of the building containing the windows which span from the main concourse through the club level.  It is of interest to see whether the windows can help minimize the exposed joints that will be created through adding a prefabricated brick façade.  This same principle (less is more) will be applied to the entire architectural design.  Since, the goal will be to change the façade look as little as possible, it will be necessary to detail the wall.  This will include architectural cuts, sections, and details; as well as, thermal and moisture related calculations proving the constructability of the newly proposed system.  Finally, a virtual mockup will be utilized to help provide a visual on the façade with the new joints.