Revised Proposal
Revised proposal posted on 1/10/12. New proposal contains a more descriptive descritpion of the architectural impacts the additional braced frames will create. The revised proposal also included minor grammer corrections.
Thesis Depth Proposal
Johns Hopkins Graduate Student Housing Project is constructed of concrete and located in Baltimore, Maryland. This proposal focuses on changing the structure to steel and moving the location to San Francisco, California. Moving the site changes the seismic design category from B to D, significantly increasing the lateral loads. To resist the increase of lateral loads, an eccentrically braced frame in conjunction with moment frames will be designed. The design will focus on minimizing the floor-to-floor height and cost while maintaining the architectural features and functionality of the space.
Breadth 1: Construction Management
A steel structure for gravity and lateral loads will first be designed for the Baltimore location most likely for wind loads. A schedule and cost analysis will then be produced to make the most accurate comparisons between a steel and concrete structure. Steel erection is typically faster than concrete resulting in an expedited schedule and saving money during construction. On the downside, steel could result in a larger building height, increasing the facade cost, and create expensive connections. Upon completing the design in San Francisco, more comparisons will be done to see the increase in cost from moving the structure to a high seismic region.
Breadth 2: Architectural
One of the design goals for the new lateral system is to reduce torsional effects that currently exist in the design. In order to achieve this goal, braced frames will need to be placed in more locations than the current shear walls. The new braced frames will interfere with the functional layouts of several apartment designs, as well as the commercial space on the first floor. These areas will need to be investigated after the lateral analysis to determine their feasibility. Some apartments may need to be redesigned to maintain a functional and visually pleasing space.