Boston University Center for Computing & Data Sciences

How do you build a 19-story, 305-foot-tall tower with 25-foot cantilever volumes offsetting in a counter-clockwise arrangement every two to three stories around the perimeter? Early discussions with Boston University, the design team of KPMB Architects, structural engineering firms Entuitive and LeMessurier, and construction manager Suffolk Construction identified the means and methods of erection as critical to the success of the Boston University’s Center for Computing & Data Sciences Building. Design-Assist, starting after the submission of Schematic Design, was utilized to identify the temporary erection procedures required to construct the tower. Steel fabricator, Canatal Industries, erector Prime Steel Erecting, and their engineer Simon Design Engineering were engaged to partner in the Design-Assist process with the design team.

A Case Study

Reimagining the iconic Sixth Street Viaduct over the Los Angeles River began with an exhaustive design competition some 10 years ago. By the project’s end this summer, HNTB’s collaborative design approach will have unified and optimized the architecture of a new viaduct while creating a decidedly unique structure in both form and function.

Solution: Heat Straightening

The Lava Fire, one of the largest wildfires to scorch California in 2021, burned over 26,000 acres and prompted evacuations of at least 8,000 residents. Sparked by a lightning strike, the fire burned for just over two months around the wooded slopes of Mt. Shasta. The extensive fire heavily damaged multiple structures, including Union Pacific Railroad’s Dry Canyon Bridge and nine miles of track near Weed, California.

Building 12 at Pier 70 in San Francisco has a long history that continues evolving. The building was originally constructed in 1941 and was used by Bethlehem Steel for shipbuilding in World War II. The building continued to be utilized for the construction of ships after the war and later was used to build the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) tunnels that cross under the San Francisco Bay. Unfortunately, in the recent past, the building has been essentially abandoned and fallen into disrepair until this project came to rescue it (Figure 1).

The Efficient Form of the David Rubenstein Forum

The David Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago is a new center for intellectual exchange, scholarly collaboration, and special events. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (Architect of Record) and Brininstool + Lynch (Associate Architect), in collaboration with LERA Consulting Structural Engineers, the 97,000-square-foot structure consists of a 2-story podium and a 10-story tower of meeting room and social space neighborhoods, which are staggered to varying degrees. Conceived as a scholarly retreat from the hustle-and-bustle of downtown Chicago, the bold new conference center shifts the paradigm from traditional sprawling conference centers and hotel ballrooms.

The $160 million New Patient Facility at the Hawaii State Hospital is a four-story, 144-bed, 196,944-square-foot secured psychiatric facility on an existing psychiatric hospital campus. At the foot of the Ko’olau Mountain Range, this facility includes patient care units, a rehabilitation mall, multiple office spaces, a standalone central utility plant, a separate gymnasium for recreational therapy, and a site elevator with a walkway bridge structure. Due to the ever-increasing patient population and a high percentage of high-risk forensic patients, the existing hospital could not keep up with the demand, and a larger facility was needed. The project was executed using the design-build delivery method led by Hensel Phelps.

The old Social Science Building at Weber State University, located in Ogden, Utah, was constructed in 1970. Programmatically, the building has been one of the most heavily used on campus, serving the social sciences, humanities, and many other departments throughout its life. One would be hard-pressed to find a graduate of the University who had not taken a class there. The concrete building, consisting of one floor below grade and three floors above, remained largely unchanged in its 45-year useful life.

A New Era for the James A. Farley Building

Redevelopment transforms an outwardly grand but mostly functional 20^th-century postal building into a 21^st-century transportation hub that is elegant, both inside and out.

San Francisco’s new Fireboat Station No. 35 is a floating two-story, 16,000-square-foot building at Pier 22 ½ supported by a 173-foot-long by 96-foot-wide by 9-foot-deep steel float moored by four guide piles behind San Francisco’s historic Fire Station 35 building. The station includes a new steel pier and associated steel support piles adjacent to the Embarcadero and historic timber pier, a vehicular and pedestrian ramp between the steel pier and float that supports the building, and a gangway between the float and historic timber pier for the firefighters (Figures 1 and 2).

Park Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (design architect) and Arup (engineer of record), the Park Union Bridge opened to pedestrians in July 2021, connecting the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum to America the Beautiful Park and Downtown Colorado Springs. The bridge is called the rip curl for its cresting design; the footbridge spans 250 feet over active rail lines (Figure 1).