Garrett Schwier

Construction Management, IP

A Campus Project
Northeastern US

 

Project Statistics

GENERAL

Project Name
Location
Project Occupant
Delivery Method
Construction Dates
Project Cost
Project Size

A Campus Project
Northeast US
Owner (Identity Withheld)
Design-Build
Sept 2012 - Sept 2014
$69.5 million + $20 million allowance
308,000 SF
   
  Building Sizes and Heights      
 

Cultural Center


Convent/Monastery


Mosque


Fellowship Hall


Turkish Bath


Parking Garage

20,600 GSF
29 feet - 2 stories

31,500 GSF
43 feet - 3 stories + 1 story below grade

24,700 GSF
128 feet - 1 story

9,600 GSF
23 feet - 1 story

50,100 GSF
24 feet - 2 stories + 2 stories below grade

150,900 GSF
13 feet - 1 story below grade

   
  Project Team      
 

Owner

Construction Manager

Architects


Civil Engineer

Fire Protection Engineer

MEP Engineer

Structural Engineer

Identity Withheld

Balfour Beatty Construction

Fentress Architects
Hassa

Capitol Development Design, Inc

Arup USA, Inc

Allen & Shariff

The SK&A Group
   
  Occupancy Types      
 

Cultural Center



Convent/Monastery




Mosque



Fellowship Hall


Turkish Bath



Parking Garage




Assembly (A-1 & A-3)
Business (B)
Mercantile (M)

Assembly (A-3)
Business (B)
Residential, Transient (R-1)
Moderate Hazard Storage (S-1)

Assembly (A-3)
Business (B)
Moderate Hazard Storage (S-1)

Assembly (A-2)
Low & Moderate Hazard Storage (S-1)

Assembly (A-3)
Business (B)
Moderate Hazard Storage (S-1)

Assembly (A-3)
Business (B)
Low Hazard Storage (S-2)
Moderate Hazard Storage (S-1)

   
 

**Occupancy information provided by Balfour Beatty and Fentress Architects.

 

 

 

     
ARCHITECTURE
Cultural Center
The focal point of the Cultural Center is the pointed glass dome at its center. The building circulates around this focal point with a round conference hall at the rear and an exhibition hall near the front as the main focuses. Portions of the second floor cantilever out from the wall, creating an undulating surface. The main entrance to the center features a large glass door and surrounding curtain wall, topped by ornamental stone. The roof is of simple flat design with a prominent cornice and pediment. Above the conference hall, the roof slopes down to accent the decline of the floor inside the hall. Four skylights bring light into the library on the second floor.

Convent/Monastery
The Convent Monastery is roughly U-shaped; one leg rises only two floors while the base and the other leg rise three floors. Similarly to the Cultural Center, portions of the second floor cantilever out slightly to create additional floor space. It also has a pronounced cornice to provide shading to the upper windows.

Mosque
Architecturally the Mosque is the focal point of the entire site project. It is the central building, the largest building, and the most impressive building. The main dome rises approximately 75 feet above the ground, already higher than any of the other buildings. The flanking minarets rise roughly 50 feet higher to a total of 127 feet. In front of the mosque is a large courtyard surrounded by an arcaded loggia. Smaller domes line the roof surrounding the courtyard and the main dome. A significant level of detail is put into the design of the mosque, which can be seen better in a picture that it can be described. Overall, the design has strong religious context and style indicative of mosques in the Middle East.

Fellowship Hall
The Friendship House is fairly simple in design. The east face features a façade long loggia with wooden railings and arches. Two minaret shaped chimneys protrude above the roof, one at each end of the building. In a way, these mirror the much larger minarets of the mosque.

Turkish Bath
The Turkish Bath is roughly rectangular in shape. Lounges are located at either end of the above ground floors. These are marked on the exterior by square shape and hipped roof. Two domes, set side by side, rest in between the hipped roofs. Underneath these are the warm rooms of the bath. The front entrance is covered by an extensive dark colored roof, which contrasts the lighter color of the façade. Two curtainwall systems flank the entrance doors, letting light into the space.

Major National Codes
2006 International Building Code and Subtitle 4 Prince George's County Amendments
2009 NFPA 101, Life Safety Code and Subtitle 11 Prince George's County Amendments
2002 NFPA 70, National Electrical Code and Subtitle 2, Group 14B and Subtitle 9
2006 International Mechanical Code
2006 International Energy Conservation Code
2010 NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems
2010 NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code


Zoning - Designated R-80
Minimum Net Lot Area: 9,500 SF
Maximum Lot Coverage: 60%
Minimum Lot Width (Front Building Line): 75 FT
Minimum Lot Width (Front Street Line): 50 FT
Minimum Front Yard Width: 25 FT
Minimum Side Yard Widths: 17 FT Total/8 FT Each
Minimum Rear Yard Width: 20 FT
Maximum Height: 40 FT


Sustainability Features
Well Field of 250 Geothermal Wells drilled 450 FT deep
 




Fig 1. Cultural Center








Fig 2. Convent/Monastery







Fig 3. Mosque








Fig 4. Fellowship Hall







Fig 5. Turkish Bath

 

 

 

FACADE
Cultural Center
Primary exterior consists of stone panels supported on a channel and rail system mounted on CMU wall. Brake metal trim forms a belt course around the entire building, separating the first and second floors. In several locations, the second story wall juts out from the rest of the wall. The front face is comprised of a Glazed Curtainwall System. At the rear of the building, the roof slopes down, decreasing the wall height. In this area, the brake metal trim takes on a zig-zag pattern to accent the changing height. Along the first floor, windows are spaced periodically.

Convent/Monastery
The exterior of the first floor is an anchored stone veneer on cold formed metal stud. Between each floor runs a belt course of thinner stone veneer adhered to Portland cement lath on cold formed metal stud. Portland cement on metal lath makes up the façade of the second and third floors. The interior of the U is lined by a ground to roof curtainwall system. On the exterior of the U, there are groups of windows encased in wood siding and rigid furring channels.

Mosque
The façade of the mosque is entirely anchored stone veneer. The stone is attached to either cast-in-place concrete or CMU wall. Lower windows are rectangular in shape and feature an ornamental exterior stone frame with grille. Upper windows are either arched or circular in shape and are typically stained glass on the inside with vision glazing on the outside.

Fellowship Hall
The exterior wall of the Friendship House is comprised of Portland cement plaster on metal lath supported on cold formed metal steel. Ornamental wood trim is attached to the surface of the Portland cement across the entire façade. The roof extends away from the wall on the southern face to form a loggia with ornamental wood arches and railings. Ornamental wood store front adorns the face of the wall. The windows are covered either with an ornamental double hung wooden shutter, which can be opened to uncover the window, an ornamental metal lattice window screen, or an ornamental gypsum window screen.

Turkish Bath
The façade of the Turkish Bath is comprised of two parts. The first floor uses a stone panel system supported on a channel and rail system and pinned to a CMU wall behind. The second floor walls around the warm rooms also utilize this system. The second floor of the lounges has a façade of Portland cement plaster on metal lath secured to CMU wall. Wood battens are nailed into the lath to create patterns and contrast with the cement. Two decorative metal screens jut out from the second floor of the east wall. Two curtain walls flank the main entrance into the building on the ground floor.
 

 

 

 

 

ROOFING
Cultural Center
The roofing is composed of polyvinyl-chloride roofing membrane sheet adhered to a cover board. Behind this sits roof board insulation with a minimum of R-30 and a vapor retarder backing. All of this is supported by either structural concrete slab or substrate board on roof deck. The parapet of the roof is made of standing-seam metal roof-panels supported by the CMU wall. Also on the roof are several fixed skylights, formed from insulated metal wall panels. The focal point of the roof is a pointed dome, made of metal-framed skylight system.

Convent Monastery
The roof, although multi-tiered, is a simple hipped roof style. Clay tile is used as the roofing material. They are nailed to a self-adhering sheet underlayment adhered to roof sheathing. This assembly rests on roof deck and cold formed metal roof truss. Between the sheathing and the deck are layers comprised of board insulation with a minimum of R-10, drainage panels and waterproofing membrane.

Mosque
The roofing used is lead sheet metal roofing on a mortar underlayment with wire reinforcing. This is backed by vent/drainage composite galvanized metal strapping, closed-cell spray polyurethane foram insulation, and a fluid-applied membrane air barrier. Intermittent zee furrings support the assembly which is attached to cast-in-place concrete over portland cement on metal lath.

Fellowship Hall
The roof is designed in a hipped fashion. The roofing material is lead sheet metal over a red rosin slip sheet with a self-adhering sheet underlayment. The underlayment is adhered to roof sheathing, so the lead sheets can be secured with nails. This assembly rests of roof deck on cold formed metal roof truss, which is sprayed with polyurethane foam insulation and covered with mineral-wool board insulation with a R-25 on the interior. Two stone veneer chimneys rise above the roof at both ends of the building. Brass ornaments can also be found at the peak points of the roof.

Turkish Bath
The hipped roofs above the ground floor entrance and the lounges are composed of the roofing assembly of the Fellowship Hall. Flat roofs, such as those flanking the front entrance, are composed of polyvinyl-chloride roofing membrane adhered to a cover board. Behind this is roof board insulation with a minimum R-15 backed by a vapor retarder. The assembly is supported by either structural concrete slab or substrate board on roof deck. The four domes are made of the same roofing assembly as used on the Mosque.
   
 

 

 

   
MECHANICAL

The mechanical system of the site is centered around a HVAC control plant located in the basement of the Mosque. Here, a modular chiller/boiler unit regulates water temperature and pumps it throughout the site. The Parking Garage is used as a convenient raceway to connect the plumbing systems of each individual building. For the most part, the condensate water lines are thermally controlled by a geothermal well system located to the north of the garage. This well field contains 250 wells, drilled 450 feet deep. They are coordinated in circuits of 10 and are ultimately connected to an underground geothermal vault. This vault contains the necessary pumps and valves used to control water flow and is accessible via a ladder in case of maintenance requirements. The lines are connected from the vault to the control plant via two 8" diameter cast-iron pipes.

The domestic water supply feeds into the site from the east, connecting into the Turkish Bath before being distributed to the control plant in the Mosque basement. It is initially connected into an underground service vault where the water is metered and regulated, before being sent to the Bath. Sanitary service is sent into the site from the southeastern corner of the garage. It is connected to the utility line via connections run underneath the neighboring roadway. Natural gas lines connect to the site from the west end of the garage. They are distributed throughout the site and are used to fuel boilers, cabinet unit heaters, and hot water heaters.

Typically, building systems are Variable Air Volume HVAC systems and drain-waste-vent plumbing systems. Each building also has its own energy recovery ventilators to maximize efficiency. Each building has slight additions or modifications to the systems in order to accomodate their specific building usages. The Cultural Center has slightly larger sized roof top air handling units in order to provide enough air volume to the Conference and Lecture Halls. The Convent/Monastery utilizes two roof top air handling units: one to provide air for transient spaces and one to provide for living spaces. Each apartment also has its own cabinet unit heater and several fan coil units in order to provide additional user customization.

The Mosque utilizes underground air handling units to provide air flow to the enclosed worship area, which also includes a radiant floor system to further control user thermal comfort. The Fellowship Hall uses two rooftop air handling units: one controls the major areas of the building and one is dedicated to the kitchen. The system is carefully controlled in order to regulatel exhaust air from the kitchen. Intake louvers and dampers are programmed to close when exhaust is at 100% in order to prevent contaminated air from reentering the supply air system. The Turkish Bath features specially sized air handling units to handle the humidity produced by the underground swimming pool and basketball court. An additional unit services the above ground areas which are also regulated by an extensive radiant floor system. The above ground areas are kept at high temperatures in order to promote physical and spiritual cleansing practices.

   
 

 

 

   
ELECTRICAL

Electrical service for the site is distributed through a central electrical room located in the Turkish Bath. Utility service is metered through the same east underground vault that domestic water supply is connected through. The central electrical room is located between the east entrance ramp of the garage and the north wall of the Bath. Two rooms here are dedicated to providing electrical power to the site: one contains the distribution and switchboards needed to feed power to all of the buildings and one contains backup generators and fuel tanks to provide emergency power when needed. It takes five generators, three for 208V and two for 480V to provide the necessary power to supply the entire site in the case of power failure. A 2500 gallon diesel storage tank provides enough fuel for approximately one week of operation and two 150 gallon fuel cubes provide daily fuel levels.

The main distribution panels located in the central electrical room are typically sized at either 2000A or 3000A. Various transformers are used to step down the power, the largest of which is 150 kVA. From here, electrical distribution is rather typical. Different types of conduit are used according to specification requirements. Each building has its own main distribution panel, smaller switchboards, and auxiliary panelboards as needed. The Convent/Monastery has a high electrical cost due to an individual panelboard needed in each apartment. This requires distribution of higher gauge wire and corresponding equipment.

   
 

 

 

   
STRUCTURE

Structural elements throughout the site vary by building. Foundations are typically cast-in-place concrete spread or continuous footings, unless otherwise noted. Excavation is supported with tieback walls and sheet piling as necessary. The ultimate compressive strength of the concrete varies by type, ranging from 3000 to 5000 psi. Lateral bracing and guy-wiring is employed to support the superstructure until full welds.

The entire Parking Garage is formed of cast-in-place reinforced concrete. In order to support the heavy loads of buildings, pedestrians, and vehicular traffic, the slabs are heavily reinforced. The well over 100 spread footings range in size from 4' x 4' to 15' x 15'. The largest footings reach a thickness of 50", needed to support the heavy loads of the Mosque. The slab on grade for the structure is 5" thick and the elevated slab at grade level is oversized to 12" thick in order to support increased loads from emergency vehicles as required by code.

The structure of the Cultural Center is comprised of reinforced concrete beams and columns. Columns, typically 24" x 10" in size, rest on spread footings ranging in size from 5' x 5' to 10'6" x 10'6". Post-tensioned concrete beams support the Exhibition Hall on the ground floor and the Library on the second floor. They are stressed with a highest force of 675 kips. Curved steel beams are used to support the roof above the Conference Hall, which changes in shape as the floor of the hall slopes. Beams are typically W8x10 or W30x90 with a largest span of 56'. The pointed central roof is made of HSS tubes. Eight unique C-shaped columns form the support of the octagonal area below the pointed roof. These are heavily reinforced and are approximately 6' in span.

The foundations and underground floors of the Convent/Monastery are cast-in-place reinforced concrete beams, columns, piers, and slabs. Spread footings range in size from 4'6" to four oversized footings in sizes of 18'6" x 16'9" and 18'7" x 7'2". These larger footings support two interior stairwalls, one elevator pit, and living spaces. Extending from the ground floor, the remaining structure is steel beams, columns, and metal floor decking. Columns are typically W8x31 or HSS 6x6x3/8 and beams range in size from W8x10 to W14x90. Layout is rather organized and consistent in order to acoomodate consistent apartment sizes.

The foundations and structure of the Mosque are nearly entirely constructed of cast-in-place reinforced concrete. Even the arches and domes are formed with concrete. The minarets are formed of 8" CMU walls with periodic concrete beams. At the top, the cones are made of HHS tube steel. Since it is located within the footprint of the underground Parking Garage, the structure rests on foundations designed with the garage. Underneath the minarets, the foundations are enlarged to 20' x 26' x 38" in order to support the heavy load.

The structure of the Fellowship Hall is primarily composed of steel beams and columns. Beams range in size from W8x10 to W18x86. Exterior columns vary between W10x33 and HSS 7x7x3/8. There are a reduced number of interior columns in order to maximize open floor space. These are typically sized at W12x40. This steel superstructure is supported by a network of CMU walls approximately 4' in height. These walls also support floor decking, raising up the entire building. The entire structure is supported on foundations developed in the underground parking garage.

The Turkish Bath is primarily constructed with reinforced concrete. Footings range in size from 4'6" x 4'6" to 10' x 21'. A 42' x 84' one foot thick heavily reinforced slab sits underneath the pool area in order to support the massive weight of water. Foundation walls are typically 1' to 2'6" thick and are tied into large retaining walls supporting the surrounding soil. These cantilevered retaining walls reach heights of 22' and thicknesses of approximately 2'. Seventeen post-tensioned reinforced concrete beams support the mezzanine and ground floor levels. They reach a largest size of 5' x 4.5' x 70' and a maximum tensile force of 2916 kips. Concrete columns are sized up to 3' x 3' and are formed from concrete of strengths 5000 and 6000 psi. At grade and above, floor slabs are heavily reinforced in order to span the large open area below. Some minor steel is used to form the roof structures.

   
 

 

 

   
FIRE PROTECTION
Fire protection systems used throughout the project are typical wet and dry sprinkler systems. Dry systems are used throughout the Parking Garage and in most of the underground areas. Wet systems are used in all above ground areas. Water main connections for fire department tie-in are located throughout the garage and within each building. In order to limit encroachment on the architectural design of the Mosque, horizontal sprinkler heads are mounted along the base of the domes. They are triggered by a heat and smoke sensor located at the dome's apex.
   
 

 

 

   
       

 

 

 

Note: While great efforts have been taken to provide accurate and complete information on the pages of CPEP, please be aware that the information contained herewith is considered a work-in-progress for this thesis project. Modifications and changes related to the original building designs and construction methodologies for this senior thesis project are solely the interpretation of Garrett Schwier. Changes and discrepancies in no way imply that the original design contained errors or was flawed. Differing assumptions, code references, requirements, and methodologies have been incorporated into this thesis project; therefore, investigation results may vary from the original design.

 

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This Page was last updated on October 25, 2013 , By Garrett Schwier and is hosted by the AE Department ©2013