Medical Research Building IV
- 124,000 SF building expansion
- 275,000 SF new tower
- VSLAB+® for primary reinforcement
Owner
Vanderbilt University
Location
Nashville, TN
Project Team
- Architects: Donald Blair Architects & Davis Brody Bond Architects
- Structural Engineer: Carpenter Wright Engineers
- General Contractor: Turner Construction
- Concrete Contractor: Charter Construction
- Engineering Subcontractor & Material Supplier: STRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGIES
In an effort to enlarge its medical research facilities, Vanderbilt University performed a 124,000 square foot vertical expansion of the Light Hall Laboratory Building and constructed a connecting 275,000 square foot tower over the 1,200-seat Langford Auditorium. STRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGIES was selected for this challenging project as the post-tensioning supplier because of the company’s diverse range of products, engineering support, and installation expertise.
To support the building expansion of Light Hall, the primary reinforcement in the new slabs utilized the VSLAB+® bonded slab system to easily accommodate future modifications. Unbonded monostrand systems were also used in the beams.
A unique post-tensioned concrete truss design was also developed which allowed the team to build over and around the existing auditorium without closing or adding any supports within it. During phase one, crews staged the construction of four concrete trusses which encased temporary steel pilot trusses. These eliminated the need for shoring towers in the auditorium and transferred loads down to the footings. The trusses on the transfer level were reinforced with bonded multistrand systems. As each floor was added, the trusses were stage stressed to control member stresses and to minimize camber effects on subsequent elevated concrete slabs. STRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGIES provided integrated shop drawings to streamline the construction process.
In the second phase, the team constructed the tower over the trusses. Spanning 132 feet over the auditorium the truss system was able to support nine floors above with one-inch of allowable deflection.