MEETING THE

CHALLENGES OF

THE 21ST CENTURY

S T E E L - F R A M E D F F I C E B U I L D I N G SS T E E L - F R A M E D F F I C E B U I L D I N G SO

There's always a solution in steel!

structuralsteel

structuralsteelA B N A M R O B A N K Chicago, IL

OWNER: ABN AMRO Bank of North AmericaPROGRAM MANAGER: Hines ARCHITECT: DeStefano and Partners, LTD.STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Thornton Thomasetti EngineersGENERAL CONTRACTOR: Turner Construction Co.STEEL FABRICATOR: Zalk Josephs Fabricators, LLC.STEEL ERECTOR: Area Erectors, Inc.

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Cost, Speed, Quality, and Marketability are important considerations that

drive the decision owners and developers make for new office building construction. Who

isn’t worried about budgets or schedules and if their new facility will meet their quality

expectations within budget? And who doesn’t worry about how marketable the building will

be in order to attract and retain tenants that will ensure profits through the expected life of the

building?

The selection of the structural steel framing system is the first step in meeting those

considerations. And it has been the first step for countless office structures in the United States

dating back to 1885 when steel was used for the first time in the 10-story Home Insurance

Building located in Chicago, IL. Steel is the material of choice of project decision makers that

have learned steel-framed office buildings are unsurpassed in:

■ Cost-effective construction

■ Accelerated project schedules

■ Early occupancy

■ Reduced life-cycle costs

■ Future adaptability to changing tenant requirements

■ Meeting security, fire protection, blast and progressive collapse demands

■ Ease of integration with other building systems

■ Increased schedule control due to all-weather erection capabilities

■ Quality assurance due to offsite fabrication in controlled environments

■ Column-free space maximizing space usage and office layout flexibility

■ Enhanced flexibility and comfort to attract and retain potential tenants

■ Maximized resale value and minimized demolition costs

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In addition, new emerging technologies and systems are increasing the positive impact that steel has on

projects today. Some of those innovations have been driven by the new imperatives of building design

and construction in the 21st century: the ability to withstand terrorist acts, higher standards for seismic

safety and fire safety at reasonable cost, increased need to layout flexibility, energy efficiency, and

sustainable design.

What follows is a journey across the country looking at nine examples of steel-framed offices, each one

illustrating one or more ways of meeting owners’ and developers’ demands for better facilities that are

faster to build and at the lowest total cost.

■ Congress Center: A Chicago, IL, mid-rise office where the developer saved over $500,000 by minimizing floor depth to reduce the cost of cladding and mechanical services and ended up with over 33,000 sq ft of column-free space per floor, gaining a competitive advantage in the office market.

■ General Services Administration: A low-rise build-to-suit office in Atlanta, GA, whose fast-track design and construction resists progressive collapse in the event of a terrorist attack and is easily adaptable to future changes.

■ New York State Department of Environmental Conservation: A built-to-suit mid-rise office in Albany, NY, where the owner, foreseeing winter construction, chose steel, which aided in satisfying the rigid environmental standards of LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

■ ADC Telecommunications: A low-rise build-to-suit office campus in Eden Prairie, MN, where spray-on fire protection was in large part eliminated on the exposed structural steel to accomplish the owner’s aesthetic requirements without compromising the highest standards of life safety and property protection.

■ Bureau of Indian Affairs: A low-rise office in Albuquerque, NM, where weeks were cut out of the design and construction schedule through the use of new software that allows movement of information from design to detailing to automated fabrication electronically while still satisfying the owner’s design requirements against progressive collapse from terrorist acts.

■ JPMorgan Chase: A San Francisco investment high-rise signature office where the developer saved $1,250,000 in the overall cost of cladding and mechanical services by minimizing floor and ceiling thickness. The office, which required large column-free areas, also had to meet stringent new seismic requirements cost-effectively.

■ CNF Transportation, Inc.: A mid-rise build-to-suit office in Portland, OR, with column-free working areas where the owner cut operating costs by 25-30% by integrating HVAC with the structural system.

■ U.S. Navy Pacific Command Center: A military command center in Oahu, HI, where the owner was able to get the project back in budget and on schedule with a unique and economical structural system to resist earthquakes, hurricanes and progressive collapse from terrorist acts.

■ Summit Place: A constructive reuse where a vintage heavy manufacturing plant near Milwaukee, WI, was converted into offices affording the developer a competitive advantage in the office market. Virtually all the original steel structure was reused.

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OWNER: Development Resources, Inc.ARCHITECT: OWP/P STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: OWP/P StructuresMECHANICAL ENGINEER: Environmental Systems DesignGENERAL CONTRACTOR: Power Construction CompanySTEEL ERECTOR: Gatwood Steel Erection

CHALLENGE: Provide a structure that accommodates changing tenant needs.

SOLUTION 1: Take advantage of structural steel span capabilities by eliminating interior columns located between the core and exterior of the building. The ability to economically achieve spans up to 46 ft created an open floor area exceeding 33,000 sq ft per floor. This appeals to a greater number of poten-tial tenants who want maximum freedom for space planning as well as comfort for their employees. And advanced design methodologies are allowing longer spans and maximizing comfort with the elimination of perceptible vibrations.

SOLUTION 2: Take advantage of the ease of modification inherent with a structural steel system. Building owners and managers are always faced with changing requirements and a composite steel frame can easily be modified to satisfy exist-ing or new tenant changing requirements such as increased floor loads for storage and equipment, new openings for mechanical equipment and verti-cal shafts or floor-to-floor staircases. Within the four years since its opening in 2001, Congress Center has required several dozen structural modifications in order to meet changing tenant requirements.

www.aisc.org/office_projects

CHALLENGE: Minimize construction costs.

SOLUTION 1: Integrate structural steel with mechanical services to reduce floor-to-floor heights. Structural and mechanical designers working closely together coordinated structural and mechanical requirements so that shop-fabricated web penetra-tions could be used for the passage of fire protection, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems within the depth of the girders. This resulted in a savings of at least 1 ft in floor depth while providing tenants 9-ft ceiling heights. This drove down associated costs of enclosure systems, partition and vertical building sys-tems by more than $30,000 per foot or nearly half a million dollars for the whole building.

SOLUTION 2: Maximize spans between structural floor elements to reduce construction time. A 5 1/4-in. composite metal floor deck increased spacing of structural beams to 16 ft on-center. By increasing the span of the composite floor system, fewer structural beams were required which reduced fabrication as well as erection time. The building was completed quicker and a positive revenue stream was generated earlier giving the developer a higher return on investment.

Structural steel offers developer maximum cost savings and office layout flexibility to gain a competitive advantage in the local office market.

Located in Chicago’s West Loop, this new 16-story, 529,000-sq-ft office building was built to meet the demand for new Class-A office space in the central business district. Because it was an investment property, the archi-tects had to work to a limited budget while still creating a building that would be a worthy addition to an area of the city enjoying rejuvenation.

C O N G R E S S C E N T E R

Ducts and cable trays through webs for reduced floor/ceiling depth

46-ft clear span:core-to-perimeter

9-ft ceiling height

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In fact, even before design was finished, the GSA issued extensive modifications that required signifi-cant increases in floor loads and the addition of a column-free space for an auditorium. Principle bays now required a span in excess of 45 ft. Structural steel with a composite metal deck proved most economical with the use of W21 beams spanning 46 ft 2 in. on 10-ft centers and a composite deck comprised of a 3-in. metal deck and 31/4 in. of lightweight concrete topping. Girders spanned 30 ft between columns with some spans, at the exterior bays, spanning 40 ft 10 in.

CHALLENGE: Meet a tight budget and schedule.

SOLUTION: Structural steel’s ease of design, construc-tion speed and compatibility with other building sys-tems helps project meet schedule and budget goals. The project team worked out an aggressive schedule to design, construct, fit up and occupy the build-ing within the time frame demanded by the GSA. The team took advantage of sophisticated structural design software that facilitated 3-D modeling of changing design requirements and helped minimize the time to incorporate design changes. In spite of the mid-stream design changes, the structural steel and composite metal deck system provided the developer the only means to complete the project on time. It was completed on time and $100,000 below budget!

CHALLENGE: Find an economical solution to prevent progressive collapse.

SOLUTION: Rely on structural steel’s ductility to design a resilient and redundant structure. The building was to be used exclusively for administra-tive purposes and the perimeter was secure so the design criterion required only that elimination of any first-floor perimeter column would not cause even a partial collapse. A structural steel solution was both elegant and simple. The building was girdled between the first and second floors with W33 x 118 beams spanning the 30-ft interior bays and 40-ft 10-in. end bays. These are attached to the perimeter col-umns with fully welded moment connections designed for the full plastic moment of the beams. To handle the scenario of a corner column being destroyed, a perimeter column was placed within 10 ft of the corners to eliminate the potential for a cantilever in excess of 40 ft.

CHALLENGE: Provide a structure that can be easily modified to meet changing tenant requirements even during the middle of the design.

SOLUTION: Use structural steel framing and composite metal deck to meet changing tenant requirements. The client foresaw the possibility of needing to make future modifications to both the structure and deck.

Structural steel satisfies blast and progressive collapse criteria and offers owner maximum ability to adapt to future changes.

This four-story 107,000-sq-ft Class-A office building located in Atlanta, GA, was developed and leased exclusive-ly to the General Services Administration and occupied by the Center for Disease Control. The urgent need of the GSA was a building that would easily accommodate future changes in use and layout at an aggressive rental rate. Challenging the project even further, a blast-resistant/anti-progressive collapse design criterion was added midway in the design process, due to the September 11 attack.

OWNER: General Services AdministrationDEVELOPER: Highwood PropertiesARCHITECT: Cooper Carry, Inc. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Uzun & Case EngineersGENERAL CONTRACTOR: Brasfield & GorrieSTEEL FABRICATOR: Stein SteelSTEEL ERECTOR: Composite Construction Services, Inc.

Heavy beams (W33 x 118) forming anti-blast “girdle” around perimeter

Fully welded moment connections

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CHALLENGE: Earn a LEED® Silver Rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

SOLUTION: Take advantage of the “green” features of structural steel. The architect collaborated closely with the owner and mechanical engineer to integrate many green features into the design and construction of the building.

A LEED consultant was also brought on board to help shepherd the project through the certification process by making a list of sustainable features that would contribute to the LEED credits required for certifica-tion. The LEED consultant’s recommendation to use structural steel contributed significantly and easily toward three LEED credits, including: use of materials with recycled content, local/regional use of materials and the reduction of construction waste. First, all struc-tural steel produced in the United States contains a minimum of 95 percent recycled content with an aver-age of 65 percent of post-consumer recycled content. Second, structural steel was fabricated and supplied by a fabricator located less than one hour from the project site, well within the 500-mile radius required under LEED 2.0. Finally, scrap structural steel is too valuable to be thrown into a landfill and virtually 100 percent is recycled into new steel products.

www.aisc.org/office_projects

CHALLENGE: Meet a fast-track delivery schedule.

SOLUTION: Capitalize on all-weather construction with structural steel. The construction of the structural frame is often on the critical path of a project schedule. On this project it was evident the structure would have to be construct-ed during the winter months, increasing the poten-tial for weather related delays. Structural steel was selected to minimize this risk. In fact, the steel fabri-cator expedited the steel delivery, started fabrication early in October and steel erection proceeded swiftly late November through completion of the structure in mid-April. Structural steel was fabricated off-site in a controlled environment by a skilled labor force unaf-fected by changing weather conditions where quality and tolerance achievement was assured resulting in fewer field erection problems. The ability to be erect-ed year-round also benefited the project schedule.

All-weather construction capabilities and sustainability advantages of structural steel help owner meet tight construction schedule and obtain LEED® Silver Rating.

When considering its new headquarters, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Albany, NY, wanted it to be a model of environmental responsibility in design, construction and operation. As such, this 13-story, 500,000-sq-ft office satisfies the sustainable design standards to achieve a LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Rating by the U.S. Green Building Council.

OWNER: Picotte CompaniesLESSEE: NYS Department of Environmental ConservationARCHITECT: Woodward Connor Gillies & Seleman ArchitectsLEED CONSULTANT: Steven Winter and Associates STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Selnick Harwood EngineersMECHANICAL ENGINEER: Quantum EngineeringGENERAL CONTRACTOR: Beltrone ConstructionSTEEL FABRICATOR/ERECTOR: Schenectady Steel, Inc.

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CHALLENGE: Eliminate passive fire protection on building structure to help achieve owner demands for an architectural statement.

SOLUTION: Bring in a fire-engineering consultant to develop alternatives to traditional fire protection methods. Under the Minnesota State Building Code at the time (amended 1997 Uniform Building Code) the construc-tion type would have dictated passive fire protection on the exposed structural framing and composite floor assemblies. A fire-engineering consultant was brought in to conduct a performance-based fire protection analysis. Life safety, property protection and continu-ity of operation goals were established and translated into performance criteria. The consultant evaluated various fire protection design alternatives and ulti-mately proposed an overall system that included an enhanced quick response sprinkler system that washes the primary framing, a total coverage smoke detection and control system as well as a fire alarm system. The proposed systems eliminated the need for fire separation walls between buildings and spray-on fire protection on approximately 80% of the structure. While the original intent for eliminating the spray-on fire-proofing was for aesthetics, adding spray-on pro-tection could have meant as much as $500,000 to the owner.

Fire-engineering and early steel fabricator involvement help owner make architectural statement with architecturally exposed structural steel at an economical cost.

This world headquarters for a high-tech telecommunications company provides 500,000 sq ft of space on a 90-acre campus in Eden Prairie, MN. The three-story complex is comprised of buildings arranged in an irregular pattern, creating diversion and interest. The owner wanted to expose the steel structure, both inside and out, as a reflection of the high-tech nature of the company’s work. The exposed structure thus is the major architectural statement of the complex.

OWNER: ADC TelecommunicationsARCHITECT/ENGINEER: Hammel Green & Abrahamson FIRE ENGINEER: MountainStar GroupGENERAL CONTRACTOR: Kraus-Anderson Construction Co.STEEL FABRICATOR: LeJeune Steel Co.STEEL ERECTOR: Amerect, Inc.

Sprinkler coverage of space

Sprinkler “washing” of primary framing

CHALLENGE: Make maximum use of architecturally exposed structural steel while avoiding unnecessary costs.

SOLUTION: Bring a steel fabricator on board early and integrate the fabricator with the design team during the design phase of the project. Getting a qualified steel fabricator on board during the early phases of the design and integrating him with the design team always results in a more economical structure. ADC Telecommunications proved to be no exception. A steel fabricator was brought on board at the beginning of the design process to work closely with the architect and engineer. Fabricator integration into the design team helped to keep the visions of the designers more in line with fabrication and erection practicalities resulting in many thousands of dollars saved for the owner. For example, the fabricator had the time to manufacture and submit models, to clearly show that for some 700 trusses (14 ft in the air) it was not necessary to grind welds for appearance sake and that the structural strength of the welds was adequate. Further, they were able to show that expensive welded connections could be replaced with standard bolted truss-to-column connections and still meet the high aesthetic standards set by the architect. Finally, the fabricator worked with the structural engineer on vari-ous connections and other details to ensure more economical fabrication and erection costs while still achieving structural requirements.

Continuous beam for support of floors

Continuous beam for support of floors

Break away column for blast

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CHALLENGE: Provide a facility that would resist blast and progressive collapse.

SOLUTION: Capitalize on steel’s ductility and design a redundant structure. Structural steel with its superior ductility, strength and ability to accommodate blast load induced deforma-tion reversals proved to meet all owner design expec-tations. In addition, steel’s high strength-to-weight ratio provided the added bonus of a lighter more eco-nomical foundation.

The owner had two specific security requirements. First, any perimeter column over the three floors could be removed and allow the collapse of a single bay up through the three floors. However, horizontal progres-sion was permitted. The structural engineer oversized the connections on the inboard side of the interior col-umns so if the beam in the exterior bay pulled away, the interior would remain intact. Second, if any ground floor column were removed in the lobby area, the floor and structure above would remain intact. Using elas-tic analysis the engineers applied a load factor taking into account impact loads from the reversal of the floor above after the blast. Beam-to-column moment connections were developed to the full capacity of the beams.

www.aisc.org/office_projects

CHALLENGE: Meet a fast-track schedule.

SOLUTION: Work with a steel specialty contractor that assumes total responsibility for the structural steel scope and uses new interoperable software. The design-build contractor worked closely with a steel specialty contractor that assumed total respon-sibility for the scope of the structural steel package. The steel team, including a structural engineer, detail-er, steel fabricator and erector under its umbrella, worked closely together to shave two months from the overall project schedule. Helping to drive this significant schedule reduction was the use of interop-erable design, detailing and fabrication software that facilitated seamless transfer of a 3-D structural model into detailing software and ultimately into automated CNC fabrication equipment. Use of the software pro-vided the general contractor with more timely budgets and schedule information and ultimately cut the time required to convert the final design into fabricated components.

Steel specialty contractor, using new interoperable software, eliminates two months from the construction schedule to help owner occupy building sooner.

The new regional headquarters for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is a three-story 140,000-sq-ft building located in Albuquerque, NM. The owner had expiring leases in diverse locations and desired to consolidate their activities in a new office as quickly as possible and within strict budgetary limitations.

OWNER: Bureau of Indian AffairsDESIGN-BUILD CONTRACTOR: OPUS West Construction Corp.ARCHITECT: DCSW Architects, Inc.

STEEL TEAMSTRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Chaves-Grieves Consulting Engineers. Inc.STEEL FABRICATOR/ERECTOR: AmFab, Incorporated

J P M O R G A N C H A S E & C O .

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CHALLENGE: Satisfy the heightened California seismic requirements.

SOLUTION: Use a proven and redundant system with reduced beam section moment connections. In order to resist Zone 4 seismic forces, a lateral load resisting system was provided in both directions. Along the short direction, two 3-bay frames consisting of 33-in.-deep ductile outrigger beams with moment connections to interior and exterior columns and four braced frames between the core columns were pro-vided. In the long direction, two 3-bay ductile moment frames along exterior sides and two braced frames along core walls were provided. All beam-to-column moment connections used the reduced beam section or “dog-bone,” which had been tested and pre-qualified for the maximum beam size used.

CHALLENGE: Provide a maximum of column-free space for layout flexibility.

SOLUTION: Use sloping columns and composite steel floor system.The developer wanted to be able to offer tenants complete freedom for space planning. By sloping the columns to make up for the setbacks in the exterior walls the lateral load resisting system could be accommodated within the perimeter framing. Furthermore, this avoided the interference of transfer girders. That and the floor system of a 5 1/4-in. compos-ite slab on metal deck spanning 10 ft between com-posite steel beams, which in turn span 43 ft, mean that there are no columns between the office core and the exterior walls.

CHALLENGE: Keep floor depth to a minimum as a way of reducing cost.

SOLUTION: Notch the floor beams. The developer was looking for ways to control costs. Close coordination between the structural and mechanical designers led to notching the 33-in.-deep outrigger beams near mid-span for the passage of main ducts. This reduced the floor-to-floor height by more than a foot. When considering the cost of curtain wall, structural steel, vertical shafts and mechanical services, each vertical foot was worth approximately $45,000 or $1,250,000 net savings for the whole proj-ect.

CHALLENGE: Meet unique structural challenges posed by the architecture.

SOLUTION: Utilize sloping exterior columns to create the building setbacks as desired. The building of rectangular shape, has two setbacks on long sides – one at level 8 and another at level 28. The normal way of supporting setback columns on transfer girders is not desirable in high seismic areas. This challenge was met by sloping the col-umns to make up for the offsets. These columns result in horizontal elements at levels 6, 8, 27 and 28. These beams are connected to the columns with pins thereby eliminating any uncertainty of behavior at the beam-to-column joints. The sloping columns at the two outrigger frames are of box shape common to frames in both directions.

Structural steel lowers floor-to-floor heights saving developer $1,250,000.

Built by a prominent developer, designed by a world-renown architect and located in the heart of San Francisco this 31-story Class-A building houses the West Coast headquarters of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Its almost 670,000 sq ft include two levels of underground parking and are complemented by a large ground level plaza and urban park. The design is modern and complements the skyline with classical elegance. The exterior wall design is a delicately proportioned tower of glass with a lush green aluminum frame.

OWNER: JPMorgan Chase & Co.DEVELOPER: HinesARCHITECT OF RECORD: Cesar Pelli and AssociatesPRODUCTION ARCHITECT: Kendall-Heaton AssociatesSTRUCTURAL ENGINEER: CBM EngineersGENERAL CONTRACTOR: Turner ConstructionSTEEL FABRICATOR/ERECTOR: Strocal, Inc.

Sloped columns avoiding transfer girders/trusses

Pre-approved “dog-bone” high seismic section

Notched and reinforced beams for reduced floor-to-floor height

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floor heights were reduced as much as 18 in. due to elimination of the traditional HVAC plenum that typi-cally runs below the beams. With the more traditional approaches, the additional material cost of steel col-umns, masonry, glazing and vertical shafts could eas-ily have added $200,000 to the cost of construction. An additional savings was realized due to the unique mechanical design that resulted in less expensive equipment as well as the minimization of horizontal ductwork.

CHALLENGE: Minimize cost of future changes in office layout.

SOLUTION: Use structural steel framing with a raised access floor. As work teams change, and departments grow and shrink, the under-floor system minimizes the disruption and cost of demolition and construction to move wiring and cabling. In addition, the steel structure can easily be modified to accommodate changes in floor loads, and the addition of floor openings among other things. The unique cellular beam design, with web openings running along the length will facilitate ease of installing new MEP systems as needed in the future.

www.aisc.org/office_projects

CHALLENGE: Create an office that reduces (energy) operating costs.

SOLUTION: Integrate structural and mechanical systems for maximum efficiency. Close cooperation between the structural engineer, mechanical engineer and the steel contractor led to a unique mechanical system that took advantage of the steel structure itself. A raised access floor act-ing as both a space for power, voice and data whips and under-floor air path was combined with a cellular beam structure/ceiling assembly that created a return air plenum. The web openings in the cellular beams allowed for the free flow of “used” air to ceiling-mount-ed water-source heat pumps. This mechanical/struc-tural integration in combination with a southern build-ing orientation and high efficiency glazing reduced energy consumption by 30 percent less than required by the State of Oregon Energy Code or approximately $64,000 in savings per year.

CHALLENGE: Minimize construction costs.

SOLUTION: Use cellular beams to reduce floor-to-floor heights to cut cladding and vertical MEP costs. Use of cellular beams allowed for economical long spans as well as facilitated free airflow and the pas-sage of miscellaneous other mechanicals such as sprinkler pipes through the web openings that ran continuously along the member lengths. Floor-to-

Innovative integration of structural and HVAC systems contributes to approximately $64,000 in annual energy savings as well as over $200,000 during construction.

The 250,000-sq-ft center is a five-story headquarters of an international transportation and logistics conglomer-ate located in Portland, OR. As the world headquarters and nerve center, the facility is open 24/7 and back-up systems are designed to allow operations to continue even under a loss of city or first phase back-up power. The progressive and image-conscious owner wanted a facility that was functional yet environmentally sensitive.

Raised access floor

Space for under-floor air path

Cellular beams allow-ing for mechanical pass throughs and easy circulation of air

Cellular beams clear span core to perimeter

OWNER: CNF TransportationARCHITECT: GBD Architects STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: KPFF EngineersMECHANICAL ENGINEER: Glumac InternationalGENERAL CONTRACTOR: Hoffman ConstructionSTEEL CONTRACTOR: R.F. Stearns, Inc.

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CHALLENGE: Further reduce cost while satisfying addi-tional Department of Defense’s blast and progressive collapse requirements.

SOLUTION: Use SidePlateTM connection technology to reduce structure and foundation costs, resist wind and seismic loads and prevent progressive collapse. The team with the structural steel proposal went back to the drawing boards. The AT/FP progressive col-lapse criteria, most simply stated, specified that any single column in any location could be removed and the surrounding structure had to remain intact. To meet new requirements, a novel and cost-effec-tive type of connection was proposed for the Pacific Command Center. An innovative moment connection, by SidePlateTM Systems, Incorporated, strategically placed throughout the structure, provided an all-steel system with enhanced redundancy and ductility that exceeded wind and seismic requirement and met all the Navy’s security requirements as well. The proposed system cut nearly $4 million dollars off the steel package and resulted in budget and schedule requirements being achieved.

CHALLENGE: Bring a critical project back into budget and schedule.

SOLUTION: Use design-build project delivery with struc-tural steel. The U.S. Navy, in order to get a new facility designed and built as quickly as possible, issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) from several design-build teams. Working with an architect, they issued bridging docu-ments that included a mix of cast-in-place and pre-cast concrete with a pre-stressed concrete floor slab. Teams could submit other solutions as long as they met the Navy’s performance criteria including a blast-resistant façade. Teams were allowed three months to respond.

Structural steel is inherently more ductile than con-crete and that material property can be used to advantage in resisting blast loadings. Designing duc-tility into the structural frame can give it a significant advantage in handling the load reversals that are characteristic of a bomb blast. In addition, a structural frame is lighter which saves foundation costs and is very cost-effective in meeting seismic design provi-sions.

One of the design-build teams took advantage of this and proposed a structural steel system that saved several million dollars over the concrete design but fell short of meeting budget goal. At this point, the U.S. Navy added Anti-terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) blast and progressive collapse requirements and asked for revised proposals.

Design-build and unique steel connection system eliminates over $4,500,000 in costs and meets stringent design criteria for earthquake, wind, blast and progressive collapse.

This six-story 320,000-sq-ft building, located in Oahu, HI, is the headquarters for the U.S. Navy Pacific Command. As originally designed in concrete, the project was significantly over budget.

OWNER: Department of the NavyBRIDGING ARCHITECT: Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo

DESIGN-BUILD TEAMDESIGN-BUILD CONTRACTOR: Dick Pacific Construction Co.ARCHITECT/ENGINEER OF RECORD: Atkins/Benham GroupASSOC. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering, Inc.BLAST CONSULTANT: Weidlinger AssociatesSTEEL FABRICATOR: Brooklyn Iron Works, Inc. STEEL ERECTOR: Swanson Steel Company, Inc.

SidePlateTM connection

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In the open high bays up to three additional floors were inserted. These bays formerly contained 300-ton capacity bridge cranes. The crane rails were removed and sold and the remaining crane beams were relo-cated onto new haunches to support new insert floors. While structural steel can be easily reinforced to handle higher loads, office loads were so much lower than the original industrial load requirements that the structure did not have to be reinforced in any way. To accommodate new mechanical ductwork, web openings in existing girders were field fabricated and reinforced. Existing roof framing was left exposed as a clear expression of the buildings’ “bones.” Existing skylights were also repaired and upgraded to provide lots of natural light and increase office pro-ductivity.

CHALLENGE: Create a dramatic modern gateway to the existing buildings.

SOLUTION: Add a four-story addition to the front of the manufacturing buildings. The addition and its atrium comprise 44,000 sq ft of Class-A space. This created a grand and modern entrance and served as a transition to the remodeled industrial buildings behind.

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CHALLENGE: Convert three abandoned manufacturing buildings into modern offices.

SOLUTION: Rely on the adaptability of the steel struc-ture to reuse it completely. The reuse of the existing buildings was less costly than building new on a “green field” site. Doing so benefits the environment by eliminating resources required to tear down the building and transport the non-steel material to a scrap yard or to produce and transport new material to the job site. Furthermore, one avoids the waste of abandoning an old site as well as the energy and materials required to develop a new site.

Working closely with the architect and structural engineer, the developer looked at the palette of avail-able features; solid brick walls, ceiling heights from 9 ft to over 26 ft, up to 17-ft-high windows, 500-ft-long skylights, up to 83,000-sq-ft floor plates combined with large column-free spaces and exposed structural framing. Combining these features with the addition of new windows, electrical power, modern HVAC, eleva-tors and escalators readily brought the project up to modern day standards.

Structural steel frames in three 70 year-old industrial buildings form the “backbone” of a cost-effective conversion into an office complex with Class-A amenities.

The creation of a company over 100 years ago gave rise to the town of West Allis near Milwaukee, WI that became a center for heavy manufacturing in Milwaukee. The demise of the company, Allis-Chalmers, in the late 1980s meant the loss of over 15,000 jobs and the shuttering of nearly two million sq ft of historic industrial buildings. Slightly more than half of the floor area was demolished (with many materials being land-filled and steel being recycled into other steel products) leaving approximately 900,000 sq ft standing. In 2002 a former employee turned developer decided there might be new life for those old bones that could spark a renaissance of West Allis as a newly invigorated community.

DEVELOPER: Whitnall Summit, LLCARCHITECT: Renner ArchitectsSTRUCTURAL ENGINEER: SRI DesignGENERAL CONTRACTOR: Selzer-Ornst STEEL FABRICATOR: Ace Iron & Steel Corp.STEEL ERECTOR: Danny’s Construction Company, Inc.STEEL FABRICATOR/ERECTOR: Construction Supply & Erection, Inc.

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The demands of the 21st century present new challenges to every office building owner, developer,

designer and construction professional. Challenges demand ingenuity, creativity and innovative solu-

tions. This brochure introduced you to many of those 21st century challenges and how some of them

were addressed through innovative uses of structural steel. In doing so, office structures were built more

economically and quickly while still maintaining quality and future flexibility to ensure profitability.

Since the beginning of modern steel construction in the 1880s structural steel has grown to be the

material of choice in office construction. Not only are the benefits of Cost, Speed, Quality

and Marketability available to every owner, but new and innovative approaches to the design chal-

lenges of the 21st century abound with steel.

The possibilities for economical and technically sound solutions in steel are many. And the good news is

there is an easy way to find them. The AISC Steel Solutions Center, staffed with engineers experienced

in all phases and types of construction, is available to assist you to determine what the best structural

system is, how much will it cost and how long will it take to build. This assistance is provided for you free

of cost for all types of buildings including: offices, parking structures, hospitals, apartments, as well as

hotels. The Steel Solutions Center is there to make structural steel easier for you to use so do not hesi-

tate to call for any issue related to structural steel including: material specifications, coatings, fire protec-

tion, vibration, seismic design, blast-resistant design, connections, or construction feasibility. If you are a

designer, there are even free tools available to make your job easier and better.

Help is but a few keystrokes or a short phone call away at the AISC Steel Solutions Center:

1-866-ASK-AISC (866-275-2472)

or

solutions@aisc.org

Congress CenterPage 3

structuralsteel

JPMorgan Chase & Co.Page 8

Summit PlacePage 11

There's always a solution in steel!

AISC Marketing, LLC.One East Wacker Drive, Suite 700Chicago, Illinois 60601-1802

866.ASK.AISC www.aisc.org

Interested in knowing more about why a structural steel frame is the best option for your next office building?

Please visit our web site www.aisc.org/office_projects for a detailed look at the projects and topics highlighted in this brochure.

You are also invited to contact the AISC Steel Solutions Center at 866.ASK.AISC or solutions@aisc.org to discuss how these solutions can be applied to capture the benefits of structural steel on your next project.

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