Strategy:
Earlier in the quarter I had talked about sustainable building materials that I was interested in working with, specifically wood (bamboo), but based on the max beam length recommendations from practice 8.5A I realized that 20’ beam lengths would be too short for my desired style and layout. I had columns in the middle of spaces I hoped would be uninterrupted. For that reason I switched to steel beams and columns. Not only is steel very durable but it’s increasingly being recycled. I hope that most of the steel for my exhibition space can be sourced sustainably.
Picture:
Material and Framing System:
I used steel W 12x40 columns, W 12x26 beams, and W 8x10 beam systems. I had tried to use joists for my beam systems, but it wasn’t working. Maybe that is something I look further into for next time. My grid was also a hybrid of both rectangular and radial systems. I also placed cast in place 72x48x18 isolated concrete foundations at the base of all columns on the first level and I placed cast in place 36x12 concrete wall foundations around my “core”.
Location of Major Elements:
My main elements consist of the southern and western balconies. Also, the main 3 story atrium that I had to ensure had no beams as well as the stairway. I have a skylight above the stairway, so I did not place any beams or systems that would block it. I have another two skylights on the 2nd level roof, but I was unsure on how I could “fix” the structural components without compromising the integrity of the building.
Structural Challenges:
For some reason when I copied and pasted my beams and columns some of them were duplicated. What was really odd though was that it was only some and not all of them.