Executive Summary
The new North Residence Hall located at the north end of Pennsylvania State University’s campus is an addition to the already existing four North Residence Halls. However the new Residence Hall will not be identical to its predecessors but will be used to subtly transition the architectural style of the north residence district to the art district of campus as it is found amid the two. The new North Residence Hall is one of many residency projects underway at Penn State University as the college is continually expanding. The new North Residence Hall will be a 300-bed-complex that consists of five stories as well as a basement and mechanical penthouse will encompass approximately 90,000 square feet. This dormitory will consist of 160 one to three person units including 26 personal lavatories and a common area on each floor. Upon completion of this project, the project team is looking to obtain LEED silver certification.
Construction for the New North Residence Hall began at the beginning of March 2016 and will be completed by August 2017 in order to allow students to occupy the space. The Office of Physical Plant (OPP) at Penn State University owns the project and Irwin & Leighton will be the Design-Builder for the estimated $33,550,000 project and will provide architecture and engineering service as well as serve as the Project’s constructor. The project will also incorporate EYP Architecture and Engineering P.C. as an Architect/Design Consultant.
Analysis 1: Masonry Stairs Vs. Steel Stairs
The new North Residence Hall currently uses a steel stud bearing wall system. This choice influenced the use of steel stairs for the project opposed to concrete masonry stairs. This has created small labor issues, cost issues, and schedule issues for the project. A concrete masonry staircase design is proposed in order to avoid the issues that the project is currently facing due to the decision to use a steel staircase design.
Analysis 2: Alternative Structural System
The new North Residence hall was intended to integrate the design of surrounding buildings in the North District of Penn State campus. This was critical when choosing a structural system due to height limitations as well as façade material. The buildings surrounding the new North Residence Hall are all primarily brick façade which is a design element adopted by the new North Residence Hall
Analysis 3: Two-pipe System vs. Four-pipe System
This analysis focuses on the use of a two-pipe system opposed to the implemented four-pipe system in the new North Residence Hall. This project underwent dozens of value engineering strategies in order to provide the product that Penn State wanted while still remaining within the budget. This analysis will research the feasibility of a two-pipe system for the mechanical system while comparing it to the current four-pipe system to understand where each system has advantages and disadvantages.
Analysis 4: Research Topic: Use of Modularization and Prefabrication in Construction
The research topic for this thesis is the use of modularization and prefabrication in the construction industry. It seems that these strategies have had somewhat of a slow start in the industry and that is due to a plethora of reasons. The research topic will focus on finding when and where prefabrication and modularization are most regularly used and are used successfully to develop a matrix that allows for owners, construction managers, and designers to decide where in their project prefabrication and modularization can effectively be implemented.
Note: While great efforts have been taken to provide accurate and complete information on the pages of CPEP, please be aware that the information contained herewith is considered a work‐in progress for this thesis project. Modifications and changes related to the original building designs and construction methodologies for this senior thesis project are solely the interpretation of Grant Gheer. Changes and discrepancies in no way imply that the original design contained errors or was flawed. Differing assumptions, code references, requirements, and methodologies have been incorporated into this thesis project; therefore, investigation results may vary from the original design.