Taking Flight
By K. Robert Wendel

Construction is taking flight at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in the northern Arizona city of Prescott, with a new academic building coming on line and plans for more projects in the works.

Crews from Prescott-based MacMillan Construction are putting the final touches on the new, 46,000-sq.-ft. academic building that will house computer laboratories, classrooms and 76 faculty offices, deans' suites and conference rooms.

Other projects on the boards include a $10 million high-bay engineering lab, a new visitors center and eventually a library.

advertisement

Contractors plan to complete this project in October.

The three-story building includes a state-of-the-art meteorology suite with a balloon launch room and weather observation pad on the roof, which will allow the university to offer a new program of study in meteorology.

"The weather stuff was definitely out of the ordinary," said electrical designer Nathan Wriedt of Phoenix-based DLR Group, the project's architect and engineer. "They modified the newest radar they use on airplanes for a ground base, so there was a lot of coordination with Honeywell, which donated the radar."

Work on the $6.8 million, construction manager at-risk project began in May 2003 with preliminary site work on a gently sloping 2.5-acre site with sweeping views of the surrounding area. Designers took advantage of the views by incorporating fenestration where possible. Elward Construction of Phoenix installed the glass.

"It's built on a granite dell so there are some great views across the campus," said Stan Axthelm, an architect and project manager with DLR Group. "We used a lot of glazing to take advantage of those beautiful views."

The project's design went through several evolutions before settling on a combination of load-bearing masonry and steel- frame structure. The project features dramatic cantilevers on both ends, with conference rooms and offices arching out over hardscape and landscaping. Architects had planned even more radical cantilevers, but scaled them back because of cost.

"The original design was quite a bit more aggressive with the cantilevers," said Mark Forman, a structural engineer with the DLR Group. "We've gone through quite a few design compromises to come up with what we have now, but it still maintains the intent of the original design."

Steel columns are placed at the end of the cantilever, for support, which is needed to keep the cantilevers down, not up.

"The posts are more for keeping the cantilevers down, not up," said Brook Andrews, a superintendent with MacMillan Construction. "It's nothing to have 25 mph winds up here, and when you go up to the third level, you can have gusts of 60 mph."

Steel structural columns sit in a regular grid system on intervals with two stair towers supporting the lateral load of the second floor. Masonry sheer walls also carry a lateral load and designers had to incorporate 1,000- lb. wall loads so aircraft memorabilia such as propellers could be attached for decoration.

"The owner had some specific requirements on the loading in the lobby and lecture areas, which included hanging "thousands of pounds of aircraft parts," Forman said.
"We provided numerous hard- point connections and designed the steel and joist systems to support the displayed items."

The project sits on a slab-on-grade foundation, with contractors over excavating the site by 2 -ft. and bringing in engineered soils. There are extensive radius walls in both concrete and masonry, with JCS Contracting of Prescott pouring 2,600 cu. yds. of concrete.

"Some of the unique things in that project were the radius walls," said Jim Simpson, president of JCS. "The radius walls added more work, but it wasn't anything out of our realm."

To limit the massing on the ends of the building, the structure's ends came to a point, with Glendale, Ariz-based Maverick Masonry placing a combination of 51,000 units of split- face and smooth- face block, along with specialized block for treating the end.

"It's a very unusual block that was specially made for the angles," said John Tieman of Maverick Masonry. "It wasn't too unusual, but it was a little different and more custom than the ordinary."

TDK Comforts systems of Chino Valley, Ariz., installed two chillers for 54 tons of cooling, along with two boilers for heat. Before work could start on the entire project, the university invested $1.5 million in site infrastructure to bring power and water to the new building.

"I think this project is going to be a landmark for both the campus and the community," said Bob MacMillan, president of MacMillan Construction.

>Big on B-Ball
>Taking Flight