Introduction
The Physical Sciences Building (PSB) is under construction in the north end of the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst between Lederle Graduate Research Center, Goessman Laboratory, and North Pleasant Street. The building was designed by Wilson Architects and is being contracted by Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. The project is estimated to be completed by early 2018.
Project Description
The UMass Physical Sciences Building is designed to provide labs, conference areas, and office space for the physics and chemistry department. The building will be three stories tall and have a footprint of 44,255 square feet out of the 100,000 square feet of the site. The gross square footage of the building will be 88,500 square feet. The completed building is estimated to achieve LEED silver certification. The construction site will include the incorporation of of the old West Experiment Station (WES) which will be partially demolished and rebuilt to be connected to the PSB In order for the WES to be properly connected to the PSB, the building must be moved to a new location in the site. Labs within the PSB complex will have flexible usage potential to be used from anything from physics, computing, or synthetic chemistry research. Along with the construction of the PSB and renovation of the WES, the loading dock at the Lederle Graduate Research Tower will be renovated and expanded upon.
Week 2 Observations: 10/12/2016
Week 2 Research: Framing
For the second week of observations, we will cover framing. Framing as used in construction is material used to give shape and structural support to a building or other structure. Framing can either be categorized as heavy framing or light framing. Heavy framing uses large, heavy members that cannot be easily listed without machinery and require certain components beyond nails or screws to assemble such as brackets, heavy bolts, and welding. Light framing uses small, closely spaced members that can be assembled using only nails or screws.
The Physical Science Building is primarily a heavy frame building but uses light framing as well in its construction. The main structure uses heavy framing as it is a large building and needs large strong members to support the weight of the building and everything that will be going into it. Light framing is used in this construction project not for structural support, but as studs to give shape to the walls and supply a base for sheathing to be attached.
As you can see in the picture below, there are both heaving framing members and light framing members making up the exterior wall. In the center of the picture and at the far right of the picture you can see large steel I-beams which are heavy framing. These beams are connected to joists that run across the ceiling which provide support for the floor above it. These beams are coated in a fire resistant material to keep the building structurally sound so that is doesn’t collapse in case of a fire. The thin steel members on either side of the center I-beam are light frame studs which will act as a base for the sheathing and gypsum board to be screwed into.
The most common materials that framing is made of are wood, steel, and sometimes aluminum. Each different material has its own benefits and the choice of what material to use is dictated by the goals of the project architects and engineers. In the PSB, all the framing is made of steel. The main benefits of using steel for framing are because of its durability and strength (mid city steel, 2013). Steel can carry larger loads than other materials and span larger distances and it is less likely to degrade over time from pests or from fire. Steel is also commonly recycled which can make it a more environmentally friendly option for framing than wood. A big disadvantage of using steel for framing is that it has a high heat transfer rate which allows heat to be easily lost from a building.
There are three types of steel framing used in building construction. Conventional Steel Fabrication is the oldest and most labor intensive type of construction (understand building construction, 2016). This style consists of cutting members of steel and welding them together on site to create the framing. Another style which is more widely preferred is bolted steel construction. This is when pre measured and cut lengths of steel are delivered to the site so that they can easily be put into place and bolted together. The third type of steel framing is light gauge steel construction which uses thin pieces of steel that are bent into shape and easily cut to size on or off site. The PSB uses both bolted steel construction and light gauge steel construction.
Members of bolted steel construction come prefabricated and ready to be installed. You can see in this picture that the pieces fit perfectly together and already have holes drilled into them so that they can be lined up and bolted.