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Construction Management

Carl J. & Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular

Center at Brigham & Women's Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts

 
 
 
 

Building Statistics

Building Name: The Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center

Location & Site: 70 Francis Street, Boston MA

Building Occupant Name: Brigham & Women's Hospital

Occupancy or Function: Hospital, Healthcare

Size: Approx. 450,000 SF

Stories: 10 above grade, 13 total

Project Team Members:

Dates of Construction: Start - October 2005 Finish - April 2008

Cost Information: Building Cost - $230 Million

Project Delivery Method: CM @ Risk

 

Primary Engineering Systems

Construction - The project is being delivered using the Design-Bid-Build method with a Construction Manager At-Risk (William A. Berry & Son, Inc.) working with a negotiated Guaranteed Maximum Price Contract. 

Electrical - The electrical systems are located predominantly on the 4th floor.  The 15 kV switchgear, running in a 3-phase, 4 wire setup with a solid ground at 60 Hz, runs this system.  The maximum voltage is 15 kV, and the impulse is 95 kV, with the short circuit rated at 37kA RMS.  The redundancy is provided by (3) UL 2200 Listed Diesel Engine driven generator sets, with each generator giving 1250 kW, 1562.5 kVA standby-rated.  These generators provide transition time, from instant failure of normal power source to emergency generator power source, of 10 seconds or less.

Lighting - There are several types of lighting fixtures provided for the interior and exterior of the building.  General fixtures employing incandescent, fluorescent, and HID lamps are installed in the building and provide illumination for general purposes.  There are also special architectural fixtures that service the spaces with not only light but also fit the entire aesthetic feel of the building as well.  Tillotson Design Associates provided the lighting fixture schedule for the Architectural fixtures, of which several are manufactured by Kurt Versen, Lightolier, Starfire, Bartco Lighting, Selux, Bega Lighting, RSA Lighting, Litecontrol, Peerless Lighting, Belfer Lighting, or Louis Poulsen.   

Mechanical - The entire 4th floor is left for mechanical and electrical equipment, with intermediate mechanical rooms located in the sublevels and on the other various levels in the building.  Natural air enters through the louvers which serve as the exterior curtainwall of the 4th floor and 4th floor mezzanine levels of the building on all four sides.  19 Air Handlers provide a total of 640,300 CFM to the facility and three 800-ton Cooling Towers provide 4,800 GPM each.  There are also 2 level rooftop Air handling units that are walk-through.  The mechanical systems include an all-water system for some heating and an air-water system for heating and cooling.  Distribution of these systems is through both variable and constant-volume systems. 

Structural - The primary structural system for the Carl J. & Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston MA is a structural steel system, supported by concrete-encased steel columns in the lower levels of the building, and an intricate foundation system that incorporates piers and footings and caissons to support the steel frame. 

  • All W-shapes being A992, Grade 50
  • All other rolled shapes, plates, bars are A36
  • All square or rectangular HSS shapes are A500, Grade B
  • All round HSS shapes are A500, Grade C
  • All bolts for structural member connections are A325, Type SC or N
  • All anchor bolts are A307

The lower levels have steel beams, with the most common shapes being W14x22 and W16x26 for the beams and W21x50 and W24x55 for the girders.  Columns are most commonly W14 shapes, ranging from W14x43 (smallest) to W14x311 (largest).  All other above grade levels have structural steel W-shapes with varying sizes.  All beam-to-beam and beam-to-column connections shall be double-angle framed beam connections and are either shop welded or shop bolted with ¾” diameter A325-N bolts.


Bracing was all galvanized HSS shapes, with sizes varying on location and spans.  The composite slabs for the floors consist of 3” composite steel floor decks with 5 ½” lightweight concrete (4000psi compressive strength) and Welded Wire Fabric reinforcement (6” x 6” W2.1 x W2.1).  Most concrete forms were of normal weight 4000 psi compressive strength concrete, including the footings, formed walls, and slab-on-grade.  Other structural forms required higher compressive strength concrete (normal weight):

Piers – 6000 psi
Slurry Wall (concrete Diaphragm wall) – 5000 psi
Flat slabs – 6000 psi

 

 

Architecture

Design & Functional Components: The idea for the building's design came from a flash bulb, the precursor to the modern flash of a camera used today. A box with flash elements on all sides, when the photographer took a picture, the flash bulb would go off, then the photographer would rotate the flash bulb 90 degrees, and he was ready to take another photograph. The Carl J. & Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center represents the answer to the immediate and mission critical assignment of providing for more patient care. It also fulfills the long-term goals of expanding and continuing to increase the high-quality standards of Brigham & Women's Hospital as an active medical campus.

Major National Codes: BOCA 1993 National Building Code, 2005 National Electric Code, BOCA 1993 National Mechanical Code

Zoning: The site is zoned H-3

Historical Requirements: This building is essentially an addition to the existing hospital, and therefore the connection between the two buildings will be visually represented by the Steel and Glass Bridge spanning them across Francis Street. The penetration of the bridge into the existing Brigham & Women's Hospital will gain some new exterior cladding similar to that of the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Center to visually represent their connection with one another

Building Envelope: A unitized curtainwall system rests upon the steel structure.

 

Additional Engineering Systems

Fire Protection - The fire suppression component of the mechanical system utilizes a dry sprinkler system at air intake plenums and emergency generator enclosures, while a standpipe/ wet sprinkler system is implemented throughout the remainder of the building.  The wet sprinklers are at 165°F and 286°F ratings, with some using a pre-action single zoned double interlock mechanism.

Transportation - Apart from the 2 escalators on the east side of the building providing service from the ground floor to the upper 2 levels of the lobby and administrative floors, several elevators are located in three areas of the building to service different levels of the facility.  There are 4 passenger elevators with 4000 lb capacity which travel at 450 ft. per minute, and service levels 1-10.  The 3 service elevators access all levels of the Carl J. & Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, from Lower Level 3 all the way to the top level, Penthouse (level 14).  The elevators also travel at a rate of 450 ft. per minute, and the maximum weight for 2 of these elevators in 5000 lb, with the third having a maximum weight capacity of 7000 lb.  Three patient elevators with travel rates of 450 ft. per minute and maximum weight capacity of 5000 lb travel from Lower Level 3 to level 1 (ground) and also from levels 5-10.  Finally, 2 ambulatory elevators with 4000 lb max capacity and a speed of 350 ft. per minute service the lower levels and the three upper levels, as well as the first floor mezzanine level.  All elevators are equipped with ADA telephone services.

Telecommunications - The low-voltage systems encompass the Security, Telecommunications, Cable Television, Spectralink (telephone and wireless telephone), and USA Mobility (wireless) systems in the building.  The Security system incorporates CCTV security cameras, swipe access card readers, delayed egress electrified door locks, panic buttons, and also includes the access control panels and the building’s fire alarm system.  The Telecommunications system employs all the Data, voice, and phone necessities for the staff and patients of the hospital.  This system blends fiber optic technology with conventional cable wiring, with the fiber optic cables consisting of 12, 24, 36, and 48 strands in the cable.

 



 
             

 

           
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