Strategy and the features of the structural system
The overall strategy of the structural system continued to be in line with the initial thought for the building; steel design for beams, columns, slabs and foundations along with the use of structural concrete walls to provide strength in those areas where fewer columns were needed to align with the idea of open spaces and different cores within the business.
Material and framing system selected
- Slab: 3’’ LW Concrete on 4’’ Metal deck supported by the steel designed beam system.
- Beams: To allow the transfer of loads to the columns, W12x26 steel columns were used in each of the floor systems.
- Columns: Since the building is surrounded by curtain walls, fewer columns were thought to decrease the amount of noise in the glass facade views. For that, big Welded Wide Flange steel columns WWF26x580 were allocated in the design as structural elements that do not only provide support but also go along with the theme of the museum, mixing in structural elements with the design.
- Foundations: Steel Pipe of 20" Diameter was used to transfer columns load to the ground.
- Structural Walls: Retaining 12” Concrete walls.
Locations of structural columns and major framing elements
To locate the structural columns, it was considered the different cores of the building and the pyramid scheme it possesses. Based on that, the first structural columns are brought from the ceiling of the last floor (Level 5) down to the building's foundations. Considering that inside halls of the building will not support much weight on its top more than solar panels, no more columns were thought to be needed along this line and only additional columns were allocated on each corner of the facade that surrounds Level 1 and Level 2 of the complex.
Structural Walls were collocated in the surroundings of the elevator shaft, the kitchen area on Level 4's deck, and the outside and interior walls of the major rooms (east and west-facing walls) from Level 1 to Level 3. This was thought to diminish the use of columns in those areas that are thought to become conference rooms or major exhibitions spaces and to provide support for the outside terrace located on Level 3.
Structural challenges
The main structural challenge was providing support without compromising the design strategy initially thought and allocating most of the columns along or within spaces where they would not represent a major distraction. To support this the thought was to include the columns inside of already accounted rooms instead of a perfectly separated alignment of grids and provide support with the use of structural walls in those areas that went from more than one floor up.