CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/697353
JULY 2016 44 CompositesWorld FOCUS ON DESIGN Melding aesthetics with structure A stairwell shroud recently installed on a Michigan university campus could be a bellwether for the expansion of composites into architectural applications previously considered out of reach. ยป Like other markets served by the composites industry, archi- tectural construction can be divided, broadly, into two catego- ries: structural and nonstructural. Tat composites have been consigned to the latter has been the unwritten rule. CONSTRUCT, the South Carolina Research Authority's architectural afliate (Summerville, SC, US), recently provided the structural design and oversight for the manufacture and installation of a 13.4m tall by 6.1m diameter (44 ft by 20 ft), egg-shaped composite stairwell shroud that could overrule that assumption. Installed this spring as part of an expansion at the Taubman Complex at Lawrence Technological University (LTU, Southfeld, MI, US), the shroud's tall, curved profle and black surface fnish form an eye-catching element where the engineering and science center's north and newly built south wings converge. But beyond its aesthetic appeal, the massive structure is functional, protecting the stairway and the people who use it from rain, accumulations of snow and wind speeds of up to 145 kph. Te shroud's and south wing's aesthetic design was provided by Morphosis Architects (Culver City, CA, US), founded by the renowned architect Tom Mayne, a frm known for designing buildings with fowing organic lines and shapes, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Hall at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY, US). Albert Kahn Associates (Detroit, MI, US), the architect of record, was responsible for implementing the design and specifying design and construction criteria, including local building code compliance, aesthetic and functional details, fre performance requirements and structural loading performance criteria on the installed stairway shroud. Te latter included live/dead-weight, vertical-snow, lateral-wind and seismic loads. DeMaria Building Co. (Detroit), serving as the general contractor, was CONSTRUCT's direct customer. CONSTRUCT's general manager, David Humphries, says his company employs an iterative, multi-step "design assist" process as its standard. It begins with a review of the design specifca- tions and compliance requirements, and then proceeds through a preliminary design, testing and proof of compliance, fnal drawing and bid, supplier selection, and second-party part fabri- cation and installation. By Michael LeGault / Contributing Writer Egg-straordinary architectural composite Located on the Lawrence Technological University campus (Southfeld, MI, US), this 13.4m tall by 6.1m diameter wide, egg-shaped, glass/ phenolic stairway shroud serves both aesthetic and func- tional purposes. The central, eye-catching element between the Taubman Complex's north and south wings and its main entrance protects stairwell occupants from rain, bears snow loads and is designed to withstand wind loads of up to 145 kph. Source | CONSTRUCT