Structural Framing Systems

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To begin for updates, I redesigned the front building that houses the lobby, kid zone, and store on the first floor and the open office and four private offices on the second floor. I then added a small storage building to the south to create even more PV panel roof area.

For the structural system, I used steel. The beams were W12x26 and the columns were W10x49. This allowed me to have spans long enough to maintain the open spaces I desired and not have anything broken up dramatically. The main challenges were the curved natures of the two side buildings and the circular cafe building. I would like to go over their structural systems and see if they need modification. Fortunately changing the structural system is very straightforward so any update would be easy to add. The difficulty was designing the linear beams to follow the curved shape and provide adequate structural support. I believe the current designs would be satisfactory for gravity loads, but I am not so sure about lateral loads. The main front building and storage building were very simple as they are rectangular, but the curved buildings may need updating in the future.

Additionally, the steel framing in the cafe building is interesting to put it nicely. I am not sure whether or not I am a fan of it, but for now it does not bother me. Perhaps given a few days I will not like how exposed the structural system is. I think glass and steel work well as steel can look light and not bulky, but I would like a second opinion on this if possible.