The architect designed the 493,000 sf project with a series of connected
pavilions arranged in a crescent shape around a pond. The water feature added a
relaxing effect both audibly and visually. Precast was chosen
due the aggressive time frame, which enabled the contractor to
efficiently enclose the building to keep the interior trades working throughout
the winter. Precast was also the preferred choice to enclose the structural steel members that supported the sunshades on the East and West Face of the buildings. The massive sunshades,along with the insulated panels helped the project receive the LEED Silver Certification.
The window system needed the precast set with a ¼” tolerance in 230 feet and the panel
Insulation needed to be precisely placed as to not interfere with the window caulking zone.
The project consisted of 972 precast pieces and 129,501 SF of precast panels on 7 buildings in one complex. The main challenge was to produce brick clad architectural pre-stressed panels that were insulated with multiple different concrete mixes in one panel. 159 insulated panels were produced with 9 different radiuses, convex and concave, with
multiple different face mixes, while accurately keeping the insulation placed
where it interfaced with the tight caulking zone requirements of the window
system.
The project presented many challenges:
1) Installing the brick and multiple different colored concrete mixes in a timely manner to be able to install the ridged insulation and its connector pins in a fluid/wet concrete state.
2) Special strike-offs were made to hold the bottom height of the concrete to a constant height.Temporary forming was used along the panel edges until the back lift of concrete was placed. This prevented the insulation from moving around. The insulation location was critical because of the small caulking zone, for the window system adjacent to our product.
3) Erecting the panels with a ¼” +- vertical tolerance in 230 Ft. Multiple back checks for proper elevation and by using a fixed story pole between the lower panel and the panel being set. As the Sunshades where loaded, they would deflect the steel and we used adjustment bolts to realign the pieces.
4) Numerous panels, 7’-3” wide X 23’-71/2” tall weighing 18,000 pounds, were erected 11 feet in and under the roof of the structure. The panels were designed to be off loaded flat perpendicular to the structure. Access holes were formed in the concrete roof just above the top lifting points. The panel rigging was lowered through the roof and another crane lifted the bottom of the panel to float the panel in place. After the panels were in place the access holes were filled with concrete.
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