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Building Statistics I

General Building Data:

 

  • Building Name: Confidential -Blue Scale Apartments

  • Location and Site: Washington, DC

  • Building Occupant Name: Confidential

  • Occupancy or Function Types (type of building): Apartments, Retail, Garage

  • Size (GSF): 172,820

  • Number of Stories above grade: 8 Stories above grade

  • Primary Project Team:

    • Owner: Confidential

    • Architect: BBGM

    • Structural Engineer: Tradjer Cohen Edelson Associates

    • MEP Engineer: Jordan & Skala Engineers

    • Civil Engineer: Bowman Consulting

    • Geotechnical Engineer: Goulston & Storrs, PC

    • Interior Design: Champallmaud

    • Traffic and Transportation Engineer: Wells & Associates

    • General Contractor: Balfour Beatty Construction

  • Dates of construction: May 2015-January 2017

  • Actual Cost Information:

    • Construction Cost: $35,132,669

    • Overall Project Cost: $40,000,000 GMP

  • Project Delivery Method: GMP with Design-Bid-Build

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

Architecture:

 

Blue Scale Apartments is a new residential building that will accommodate approximately 130 tenants in the DC metropolitan area. The project includes apartments, 15,000 SF of retail space, and recreational areas. This apartment building sits in the center of Washington DC’s music scene with various jazz and music venues surrounding the area. (Exact address confidential per owner’s request).

The building features upscale apartments with an exterior façade that compliments the historically Victorian-era neighborhood. The surrounding area is heavily residential with many row homes directly adjacent to the jobsite location. Brick and concrete enclose the building with some special design features to express the culture of the area. (See fig 2.) The top level includes a sundeck with a small green roof garden feature. Fig 1. Shows trees that are pre-existing and will be preserved throughout the course of construction

Codes:

 

2006 International Code Council Series (ICC)

District of Columbia building code supplement (DCMR 12)

ANSI A117.1 – 2003

District’s Green Construction Code 2013

 

Zoning:

 

WMATA- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

 

The map below shows the line of influence (in blue) the construction of the building will affect the metro railway.

Building Enclosure 

The façade of the building consists of mainly cast stone and concrete materials. Several apartments will include balconies and glass doors. Some glass windows on the first retail level will include art displays integrated into the design. A small portion of the façade is designed to be GFRC (glass reinforced concrete) to increase the value of the project. The windows will have an Aluminum system integrated into the structure of the building to support all of the overhangs at each level.

Fig. 5 shows the integration of the window system with the cast stone exterior. This system includes many components with a weather barrier and polyiso sheathing adjacent to the metal stud. At the intersection of every window and level there is sealant and backer rod to complete the function of the exterior

The roofing for Blue Scale Apartments includes a drainage system for the integrated garden and window washing anchors. These anchors need specific drainage and caulking to prevent water from overflowing the top level of the building. See fig. 6 for details on how the system fits together for the window washing anchors. Surrounding the anchors is a ballast roof system consisting of gravel and a rain shield to be integrated in the concrete roof slab

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sustainability Features:

 

Blue Scale Apartments meets the minimum requirements for DC’s DDOT (District Department of Transportation) sustainability guidelines. The existing trees on the jobsite are required to be preserved and taken care of during the construction of the project. Guidelines for the domestic water and sanitary sewer water must be followed by the DC water administration. Sediment and erosion control will be implemented during excavation and all phases of the project to prevent runoff damage to the area. Appliances in the building design have minimum spec requirements to be Energy Star approved. This includes a SEER 15 HVAC system and low-flow plumbing fixtures throughout the entire building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building Statistics II

Demolition & Excavation:

 

The pre-existing structure on the jobsite was a single story retail complex constructed out of simple materials such as CMU block and an 8” slab on grade. The SOE (support of excavation) for Blue Scale Apartments features various retention systems for the soil on the jobsite. The project includes underpinning pits, solider beams and lagging, tiebacks, and micro piles. An existing building on the west side of the job site requires a special underpinning design to support the building that is a couple inches over the property line. During the excavation phase of the project, large amounts of contaminated soil were discovered.

 

Construction:

 

Blue Scale Apartments is a GMP (guaranteed maximum price) project for $39,595,000. This residential building will accommodate approximately 130 tenants and have up to 15,000 SF of retail space in the first level. The building is 8 stories above grade and 1 story below grade that features a tenant parking garage. Blue Scale Apartments is located in downtown Washington DC near a popular metro station. (Information per exact location is to remain confidential).

 

The NTP for the project was awarded in May 2015 and the project is set to have the final completion in March 2017. The preconstruction for the project began in December of 2014 and lasted until the project was able to physically mobilize onto the site. The bulk of the star of the building envelope will begin at the end of this year in November. The core areas will be sequenced at the same time as the building envelope to save time during the winter season. The retail spaces are to be finished by March 2016 so the building can lease out the spaces to business. The tenant occupancy and inspections are schedule to start late in August 2016 and follow through into January 2017. The project is expected to be contractually given to the Owner in March 2017.

 

Structural:

 

The structure of Blue Scale Apartments consists of 8 stories of cast-in-place post tensioned concrete. The exterior façade has face brick and some GFRC (glass reinforced concrete) elements in some areas of the building’s exterior. The concrete slab has a compressive strength of 5000psi and is 39” minimum thickness for the mat. foundation. The parking garage level underground requires that all the rebar be epoxy coated from the loading dock to the entrance ramp. All concrete columns from the parking level to the first level have drop panels to help reduce the effect of punching shear by the loads created by the building.

 

Mechanical:

 

The main mechanical system for the building consists of split-system heat pumps with AHU (air handler units). The building has several heat pumps integrated into the mechanical system in order to provide enough cooling load to the retail, garage, and living spaces. Blue Scale Apartments also includes a 100% outside air rooftop unit because the building requires that all the air is push through to system to avoid recirculation of contaminants. This 100% outside air unit system handles 3,000 CFM for all of the main building loads. However, the split system heat pumps all process different loads of CFM ranging from 600 – 1850 CFMs. The cooling capacity for the mechanical system is based on EAT 95 degree ambient temperatures and the heating capacity is based on EAT 47 degree ambient temperatures.

 

Lighting/Electrical:

 

The electrical power for the building is distributed form utilities in the city by PEPCO vaults and other similar connections located underground. The utilities feeding in to the building bring in 3,500 Amps, and 2,000 Amps for the residential spaces. Electrical power set up for the retail spaces is rated at 2,500 Amps. Since the retails spaces are unknown clients, is it difficult to determine the required electrical load for these spaces. There is a significant difference for providing electricity to a restaurant vs a small craft/arts shop. This issue creates a lot of problems early on in the design to be able to support the demand of the building and the retail spaces in the first level. The electrical set up currently in the design has hook ups for five retail spaces each with varying amperage.

 

 

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