Analysis I

The first analysis investigates an exterior façade redesign for Blue Scale Apartments. The original design for the building included a cast stone façade with GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete). However, after some change orders per the Owner’s request, the GFRC portions of the design were worked out and the entire façade is going to be cast stone. The problem with this change is cast stone is heavier than GFRC and the connections on the façade need to reevaluated. This analysis will explore different options for the structural design of the façade and connections with the windows to support the new materials.   

 

Analysis II

Blue Scale Apartments has a very tight job site with very strict excavation requirements. One of the neighboring buildings, a night club, on the west side of the jobsite sits 4” over the property line into the designed building.  This analysis seeks to investigate different excavation techniques for supporting the neighboring building. Currently the jobsite’s SOE design includes cantilever piles because neighbors on the South side of the project did not wish to have tiebacks running into their property. In order to solve these issues, different types of SOE such as micro piles will be considered as a solution for the project.

 

Analysis III

One of the largest challenges for the construction of the project is the building envelope. The tight site constraints make the construction methods for the exterior trades difficult for placing brick and cast stone. The exterior walls will be framed from the inside of the building but other portions of the wall such as the brick, will need to be accessed from the outside. The delay in the building enclosure will create problems for  the installation of the mechanical systems in the building. This analysis will explore different solutions for alternative windows to reduce the cooling load and save time for installation on the project.   

 

Analysis IV

The last analysis is based off of topics discussed at the PACE roundtable regarding the use of Augmented Realities in construction. The general contractor for Blue Scale Apartments is currently using a program called BIM 360 for tracking information on the project such as safety issues, materials, and punch list items. The project team utilized i-Pads for referencing drawings on the jobsite and is looking to linking a model up for 4D scheduling. This analysis seeks to expand the use of BIM 360 and theorize the compatibility of using an AR (augmented reality) feature on the jobsite.

 

Structural:

The first analysis is focused on redesigning the connections and support of the façade of the building. There are different structural options that will be considered for the redesign of supporting a heavier façade made up of cast stone rather than GFRC. This breadth study will focus on different value engineering items for changing the building materials to help support the façade. This would include items such as tie brackets and reinforcement in the window openings.

 

Mechanical:

The third analysis ties in a mechanical breadth with the changes for the building envelope of the building. The third analysis ties in a mechanical breadth with the changes for the building envelope of the building. The delays in construction from the building enclosure will affect the overall project schedule. Alternative windows will be researched that would have the potential to reduce the cooling load by the building. The windows can be analyzed based off of a solar gain analysis to determine the buildings energy performance. There will be different options for windows considering the R values and design features such as overhangs. This breadth will focus on a construction review and the practicalities associated with energy efficient windows.