Owner
Herschend Family Entertainment, Atlanta, Ga.
Precast Producer and Precast Specialty Engineer
Oldcastle Precast Building Systems, Edgewood, Md.
Architect
Granary Associates, Philadelphia, Pa.
Engineer of Record
O’Donnell & Naccarato Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.
General Contractor
Whiting-Turning Contracting, Baltimore, Md. Key Project Attributes
- Fabricating the precast concrete components under controlled conditions in the plant ensured high quality and tight tolerances, minimizing field adjustments and speeding up erection time.
- Casting components off-site while site work was completed allowed precast concrete pieces to be ready for erection as soon as foundations were ready, speeding up construction.
- Precast concrete’s aesthetic versatility provided an attractive look that provided a strong palette for the addition of paint colors and signage.
- Carbon reinforcing won’t corrode or crack, allowing less concrete to be used as cover.
- The panels’ lighter weight minimized crane requirements, preserved piece size, and kept erection costs under control.
- Insulated sandwich wall panels offer R-16 energy value, reducing HVAC costs.
- Structurally composite panels ensure no hot or cold spots in walls.
- Panel sizes allowed access doors, double doors, and window openings to be cast into them, speeding construction.
Project/Precast Scope
- $53-million facelift and addition to aquarium housing about 8,000 animals.
- Addition contains three new exhibits, a food-service area, new main entry, gift shop, and restaurant.
- 90,000 square feet of precast concrete architectural insulated sandwich panels, consisting of 3-inch interior and exterior wythes of concrete sandwiching 4-inch layer of foam insulation, providing R-16.
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