CEE434 Students toured the construction for the new Academic Building at UMass.
Here are some general views of the tour with the decking and bracing shown.Note the tube shape braces in an inverted V configuration with gusset plates and stiffeners in the beams where they transfer their load. Closeup photos of these types of connections are shown in other tour photos. Also note the steel placed to support the cladding of the building in the last photo.
An interesting feature of this structure was the foundation Shown is the theater classroom during construction with the seating to the right and subsurface wall to the left. The columns in this section rest on the concrete pilasters on the wall (they don't continue to the soil).
Here are some photos of the architectural mockup - a two story structure built to show that the architectural finish, workmanship and detailing are acceptable. Note the steel pieces connecting to the outer (spandrel) steel beam to account for torsion from the cladding weight.
Some photos of the near completed structure.
