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Structure & Site
Spring 2021
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: Vernon-Verona-Sherrill CSD |
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The Vernon-Verona-Sherrill CSD multi-phase school project was one of our most interesting jobs due to a couple of incorporations — one relatively rare structural system and one product that made all the difference with thermal bridging.
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The structural highlight of this project was the Middle School STEAM Academy addition that involved a partial use of an old classroom wing — but only the foundations and floor slab. The interior bearing wall layout interfered with the desired open floor plan, so the roof and walls were demolished.
The new structure spanned across the footprint of the original wing using eight double-pitched castellated steel girders, each 80 feet long, cut from W36 steel beams in a zig-zag pattern, then the top sections were offset from the bottoms and rewelded to increase their depth and maximize steel efficiency. This is a relatively rare structural system, but what's even rarer is that the girder is "cranked," — the girders' top and bottom flanges sloped away from a center ridge.
Another unique feature: At the ends of six girders are 60-inch deep Manufactured Structural Thermal Break Assemblies (MSTBAs) located at the exterior walls, where the girders pass from being inside the thermal envelope of the new building to the outside. The MSTBAs transfer the girders' shear and bending moments but minimize the thermal losses.
This product is manufactured by Schock at its plant in Baden-Baden, Germany, and has been used for decades throughout the world, but only recently in the United States. And, to our knowledge, the 60-inch depth makes these MSTBAs the deepest assemblies ever used in this country.
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... and the Corners of the Envelope ... |
If your building has walls and a roof, then it has wall-to-roof intersections. The details at these intersections, or what could be called the “corners of the envelope,” vary from project to project. They need to be well-designed for acceptable structural performance but can sometimes be challenging to control both convective and conductive heat flow. Let’s take a look.
Continuous convective resistance — the air barrier system — can be confounded by penetrations for roof edge blocking support, parapets, corbels, and perimeter projections such as sunshades. How to affect a continuous airseal varies with the details, but usually transition tape, sealant, or mastic is needed.
Conductive resistance can be compromised by thermal bridging of elements that pass through the insulation, such as roof edge angles and sunshades. One challenge is that such heat loss is difficult to quantify without using a program such as THERM that calculates the overall U-factor for the modeled section.
We have found that many designers do not realize that the Energy Code applies to the entire envelope, including the roof-to-wall intersection.
For the full story, click here.
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Welcome, Tami Scott
Tami Scott joined KHH in February as the Marketing and Administrative Assistant. She earned her B.A. in Communications at SUNY Oswego and has worked as an editor and writer for more than a decade.
In her free time, Tami enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her family.
She resides in Liverpool, NY.
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Welcome, Alan Greer
Alan Greer came to KHH as an intern in May 2019 and was hired this past February as a full-time Assistant Designer. He earned his A.A.S. in Architectural Technology from Onondaga Community College.
His hobbies include hiking, kayaking, and 3D modeling and printing (which is a passion that comes in handy for KHH!).
Alan resides in Baldwinsville, NY.
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Happy 5th Anniversary to Engineering Designer Tyler Latulipe! |
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KHH sponsors 19th annual state conference
Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt was a sponsor for the 19th Annual New York State Green Building Conference (NYSGBC) held in April.
Our own Jim D’Aloisio, together with DASNY Director of Sustainability Programs Jodi Smits Anderson presented “Improve Your Carbon Literacy ... And Improve Your Project's Carbon Footprint.” The virtual presentation was well-attended and well-received.
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The Evergreen on Top of the Hill |
If you’ve lived in the city of Syracuse for any length of time, you’ve probably found yourself at the intersection of East Adams Street and Irving Avenue at one time or another. While waiting in traffic or at the crosswalk, perhaps you’ve noticed a squat tree with thickly lined bark and a vast, windswept canopy of dark green pine needle clusters. This mature tree is an admirable example of the Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra) in its natural form.
Click here for the full story.
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This stairway was created as one of many 3D projects. |
Alan Greer works on a project using a 3D printer. |
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As an integral communication tool, our 3D printer transforms design concepts into scaled physical prototypes for absolute understanding of the end product. Initially incorporated to ascertain its capabilities and level of usefulness, the 3D printer has quickly proven effective for visualization purposes on projects in each of our office’s disciplines.
The printer works by pushing melted plastic through a motorized nozzle that moves in different directions to layer the deposited plastic in a shaping formation. The material cools and hardens while the layers gradually build up to create a three-dimensional shape. This can sometimes be a lengthy process depending on the size and intricacy of the component being printed. The heating element and extrusion of plastic works very similar to a hot glue gun but at more of a micro-scale.
Earlier in the year, this remarkable little gadget was successfully incorporated on multiple occasions. It assists with both site and structural projects and is incredibly effective portraying elements such as stairways, ramps, and walls.
The most notable advantage to our 3D printing is that the physical models greatly simplify discussions. Rather than flipping through large sets of drawings or quickly sketching what something may look like in perspective, we can simply point to the parts of the models, pass them around, and rotate them freely to convey design intent or review potential obstacles.
Our assistant designer Alan Greer enjoys a direct benefit that relates specifically to the use of time.
“While I still have to create a model in a 3D modeling software for the printer to work from, the actual printing process is completely hands-off,” he said. “While the prints might be time-consuming, I can be working on other tasks while it’s operating.”
We look forward to what the future will bring us with this advanced technology.
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Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt is seeking professionals for positions in our structural engineering and landscape architecture disciplines. Talent, experience, and enthusiasm can lead to significant growth potential. We are a modest-sized, multidisciplinary design firm with a friendly, collaborative work environment, and offer an excellent benefits package. For more information on our open positions, please visit us at https://khhpc.com/contact-us/careers/
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