Ryan Stanza
Structural Option
Master of Architectural Engineering Candidate
Advisor: Professor Linda Hanagan, Ph.D., P.E.
Building Statistics
Introduction
The NEEF, located in the Northeastern region of the United States, is a six-story building with a mechanical penthouse that reaches a height of 141 feet. The building is one of two facilities that houses advanced research laboratories for a confidential university in the local area. Completed in 2008 with a LEED Gold Certification, the 390,00 square foot facility designed by FLAD Architects provides spaces for state-of-the-art imaging facilities, clean rooms, laboratories, lecture halls, office suites, auditoriums, and classrooms.
General Building Data
Building Name | Northeast Educational Facility
Location | Northeastern United States
Building Occupant | Cannot be Disclosed
Occupancy | Group D-2 – Chemical Laboratory
Size | 250,000 Square Feet
Stories Above Grade | 8
Total Levels | 8
Construction Dates | Cannot be Disclosed
Actual Cost | Cannot be Disclosed
Project Delivery | Design-Bid-Build
Project Team
Owner | Cannot be Disclosed
Architect | Flad & Associates
Structural | LERA Leslie E. Robertson Associates
Lighting | Cosentini Associates
Mechanical | Affiliated Engineers Inc.
Civil & Site | Langan Engineering
Architecture
The Northeast Advanced Educational Facility consists of two buildings that are connected by a shared ground level floor. The program accommodates spaces that provide support to a variety of research initiatives. Out of the 450,000 square feet, approximately half of it will be usable as flexible space for research labs, lab support spaces, and shared specialty core facilities and offices. The top floor of each building will consist of a mechanical penthouse.
One prominent feature of the taller of the two buildings is a four-story atrium that is column free and sky-lit. The space allows natural lighting to permeate throughout the upper levels of the dense interior which provides a comforting environment for the occupants.
Sustainability Features
The facility has achieved LEED Gold certification from the multi-disciplinary sustainability aspects. For the structural systems, steel and concrete elements were fabricated and supplied within 500 miles reducing the imbued energy associated with transportation. Rolled steel shapes and concrete fill for slabs contains recycled material. Due to the nature of laboratory work and the location being in a metropolitan area, indoor air quality is highlighted by placing a priority on indoor chemical and pollutant source control as well as monitoring the outdoor air delivery methods. With so many mechanical systems, a very strong emphasis is placed on optimizing energy performance of these systems. In addition, alternative transportation methods were considered via public transportation accessibility. The podium above the ground level which connects the NEEF and sister building is a green area that serves as a space for plants, trees, grass, and other foliage to provide a natural environment within a densely populated metropolitan area.
Building Enclosure
Facade
The façade is made up of an exterior curtain wall that has interior windows and glazed openings as well as exterior spandrel panels in areas where there is no glazing to give the appearance of an entirely glass building. The windows of the curtain wall glazing are a 1” thick insulating unit with clear glass and a reflective coating on the second surface. The spandrel panels are made up of a glazed aluminum curtain wall with interior and exterior exposed metal framing. The curtain wall system mandates that deflection tolerances of framing members normal to the wall plane are limited to the smaller of 1/175 of clear span or ¾”.
Roofing
Roof construction consists of structural steel beams and girders supporting either 3 ¼” lightweight concrete slab over 3” composite steel deck or 4 ½” normal weight concrete over 3” deck. Shear studs will interconnect the steel beams and slabs to create composite action. Roof construction is to be pitched to drain by sloping the structural steel. Beams and girders are, in turn, supported by structural steel columns that extend to foundations.
Structure
The structural system for the NEEF is a composite steel framed superstructure with composite metal deck and concrete topping that rests on grade and is supported by concrete spread footings and grade beams. 3” metal deck with a 4 ½” 4,000 psi normal weight concrete topping is found on the first floor and mechanical penthouse for vibration control. A 3” metal deck with a 3 ¼” 4,000 psi lightweight concrete topping is found on the remaining floors. Beams and girders are primarily W27x84 and W24x103, respectively. Both have no camber and have ¾” dia. shear studs to engage the concrete slab above in composite action.
The lateral force resisting system is comprised of steel moment frames and concentrically braced frames. 6 moment frames act in the North-South direction and sit on 4,000 psi normal weight concrete spread footings. 4 concentrically braced frames act in the East-West direction and are supported by 4,000 psi normal weight concrete spread footings which are tied together by grade beams.
Mechanical
Primary Systems
Hot water is supplied by 2 water-tubed Unilux High-Pressure Steam Boilers that run on natural gas. Supply air is provided by a mix of AHU’s that are 100% OA and utilize compressors with refrigerant piping to treat the air. Condenser water is created from 2 general purpose, cross-flow cooling towers that produce the cooling need for the condenser water needed in the AHU’s.
Secondary Systems
There are a mix of different heat recovery systems that recover energy via sensible and enthalpy wheels to control for temperature and humidity. Heat exchangers consist of 8x Shell & Tube and 2x Plate Frames. The shell and tubes primarily serve the hot water system while the plate frames serve the cooling towers/condenser water. These recover heat from the recircled water and help with efficiency and sustainability considerations.
Lighting
The NEEF provides a complete lighting system for all indoor and outdoor illumination. The indoor lighting system consists primarily of energy-efficient fluorescent lighting fixtures. In general, indoor lighting controls will consist of room occupancy sensors and line voltage switches are integrated into the BMS. Outdoor lighting controls utilize BMS control with line voltage manual override switches. Occupancy sensors are provided to control all space lighting with the exception of one light fixture in each space which is separately controlled. Emergency/night lighting is provided by unswitched branch circuits. These unswitched branch circuits are fed from an emergency lighting panel.
Electrical
Medium voltage switches (15KV), dry type transformers 13.2KV step down to 480Y/277V, and double ended switchgear at 480Y/277 volts are provided in every building. Draw out type circuit breaker is utilized. The switchgear provides power to the mechanical motor control centers in addition to the electric closet risers feeding the building lighting and receptacles. Dry type transformers are provided to step down voltage from 480 V to feed 208Y/120volt panel boards. The 208Y/120 volt panel boards feed individual branch circuits for general use receptacles and multi-outlet receptacles. Transformers and 208Y/120 volt panel boards are located in electrical closets on each floor. General lighting are supplied from 480Y/277 volt panelboards located in the electric closets on each floor.
Telecommunications
Main and intermediate IDF rooms are sized to be able to support present and future variable bandwidth users. Vertical risers optimally use fiber optic backbones, and horizontal runs use high bandwidth copper cables, as well as fiber to the desktop on an as needed basis, with spaces sized for future optical fiber and moves, adds and changes in the horizontal run.
Fire Protection
A complete combined sprinkler standpipe system is provided in accordance with applicable codes. The system is pressurized by an automatic electric driven fire pump with jockey pump. Emergency power is also provided. A single fire pump serves all buildings. As an alternate to a wet station for the main data center, a complete reaction sprinkler system is used instead.