THE JOHN JAY COLLEGE EXPANSION PROJECT:
A STUDY OF AN ALTERNATIVE GRAVITY LOAD TRANSFER SYSTEM
Open Access
Author:
Hopper, Michael W.
Area of Honors:
Architectural Engineering
Degree:
Bachelor of Architectural Engineering
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Andres Lepage, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Andres Lepage, Thesis Supervisor Ali M Memari, Thesis Honors Advisor Chinemelu Jidenka Anumba, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
John Jay College Expansion Project Structural Transfer Systems
Abstract:
This thesis is the culmination of a yearlong study performed on the John Jay College Expansion Project located in Manhattan. This academic building includes a midrise tower with classrooms, laboratories, and office spaces that reaches a maximum height of approximately 240 feet above 11th avenue. Amtrak tracks pass beneath the South-West corner of the site, which led to a unique structural system for the midrise tower. Floor framing is attached to hanging perimeter plates, which are then connected to cantilevered penthouse trusses. These trusses then transfer gravity loads to the building’s lateral force-resisting system, which is a braced frame core. This structural solution provided the John Jay College Expansion Project with some unique architectural features, however, it also introduces complex construction methods. This study focuses on a new transfer solution that is more constructible than the existing design, is more efficient than the existing design, and also displays this transfer solution as an architectural feature. For more information regarding this yearlong thesis study, please visit http://www.engr.psu.edu/ae/thesis/portfolios/2009/mwh174.
