Structural Depth
This report proposes a situation that may have occurred during the design phase of the Heifer International Center. A new design will be required due to a change in the architectural intention that the architect wishes to portray. The new design involves using glulam beams and changing the floor system of the office building to one of five potential systems: a plain concrete slab, tongue and groove wood plank, composite wood and concrete, steel decking and concrete, or a post tensioned slab system.
These five floor systems will be researched and the most practical floor system for the Heifer International Center's glulam beam gravity redesign will be chosen. The glulam beams will be reinforced with tension cables; in a queen post truss design. This advanced modification to a glulam beam may prove beneficial in integration between the structural, mechanical and architectural disciplines. Due to aesthetics and the ease of connection of the glulam beams, the current HSS columns will be kept in the redesign.
The current layout of the lateral system will be kept. However, in order to better understand a wider variety of lateral force resisting systems, a concrete shear wall will be studied. It is important to understand why a steel plate shear wall was selected in the original design and examine whether it was crucial for the design.
12.13.2013 Original thesis proposal
01.16.2014 Revised thesis proposal
02.24.2014 Revised thesis proposal
Disipline Breadths
Breadth Topic 1 - Mechanical and Envelope
A glulam beam system will be used in the redesign of Heifer International Center. Due to the updated Construction Type, the Underfloor Air Distribution System will be negated. The mechanical system will have to be changed to a new overhead ductwork system. This new system will need to be hung from the ceiling—and it is important that it is incorporated into the revised structural system so it will visually respect other engineering options. The mechanical system will be able to integrate into the queen post, option 1 or 2, previously discussed in this report.
The mechanical breadth will involve generally sizing the building's supply and return ducts and ensuring that the ducts are able to fit through the designed queen post. Due to the open office plan of Heifer International Center, careful consideration will need to be taken in the placement of ductwork and its architectural influence. A study will be performed to understand the new structural system's impact on the thermal envelope, and what may be done to reduce the number of thermal bridges in the current design.
Breadth Topic 2 - Architectural
Due to the drastic change in structural building materials an architectural study will be performed to understand how the glulam redesign changes the Heifer International Center. The lateral system redesign should not have an effect on architectural considerations. The Education and Visitor Center next door to the Heifer International Center will be used as a design guide to develop architectural characteristics that should be considered during the duration of the structural redesign. This design guide will influence both structural and mechanical disciplines. Revit and AutoCAD will be used to produce renderings of the new architectural features, and the final effect they have on the design.
Graduate and Honors Requirements
The thesis prosal will fulfill requirements for the Archtiectural Engineering Department, The Gradudate School M.A.E./B.A.E., and the Schryer Honors College.
MAE Coursework Requirement
The Graduate School of the Pennsylvania State University will be incorporated into the redesign of the Heifer International Center. Graduate level course work will be referenced from AE 530 – Advanced Computer Modeling of Building Structures to develop an advanced Bentley RAM Structural System model of the office building. Additionally, a CSi SAP2000 model may be used to analyze, in detail, the potential queen post that will be used in the redesign. In addition, AE 538 – Earthquake Resistant Design of Buildings will be integrated into the design of the lateral force resisting system.
Schreyer Honors College Requirement
This thesis work will be submitted in order to fulfill requirements set by the Schreyer Honors College and the Department of Architectural Engineering. An in depth literature review will be performed of a composite concrete and wood floor system. The intent of this research review will be to gain professional experience as a future Engineering of Record having to specify a floor system not referenced in the International Building Code. The Engineer of Record would have to perform an examination of the proposed system, a composite concrete and wood system, to ensure that it will be safe in the building. This will provide a challenging, in depth examination, of a complex system and reference the work of Dr. Walter G.M. Schneider.
