CEE434 Students toured the New Geology Building at Amherst College. The tour was arranged by the Amherst College Facilities Planning Department.
Below are some overview shots, and then some interesting features of
the project.
One interesting
feature was a wall panel "mock-up" where the Contractors demonstrated
the water-tightness of the facade and construction techniques. This
stand alone piece (similar to the building but demolished afterward)
was being tested the week we visited.
There were some interesting steel details to be considered, such as the partial columns to support glass panels and the unusual beam to beam framing and cantilevers at the corners of the building which allowed for the transparant facade.
And then there is the
structure currently, further along than when we visited - it should be
open as a museum, classrooms, and laboratories in 2006.