Jon Webster
Structural Option
Advisor: Dr. Boothby
Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics
Philadelphia, PA
Building Name:
Location and Site:
Occupant Name:
Function:
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Dates of Construction:
Building Cost:
Project Delivery Method:
Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics
133 South 36th Street, Philadelphia, PA
University of Pennsylvania
Educational
111,140 SF
107.5 feet
8 (1 basement floor)
December 2016 - Spring 2018 (Anticipated)
$77,600,000 project budget
Design-Bid-Build
Construction Manager:
Architects:
AV/Acoustic Consultant:
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Lighting Consultant:
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Sustainability Consultant:
General Building Info
Project Team
Architecture
KPMB, the architects of the Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics building, design was influenced by the existing West Philadelphia Title and Trust Company building. The new construction was designed to complement the existing façade; to do this the architects attempted to mimic the vertical style of the existing structure. The materials used for the façade of the new construction are silver metal, clear glass, and frosted glass.
The main entrance to the Perelman Center is on the West side of the building at the connection of the existing structure and new construction. Inside the existing structure was a double height ground floor; this has been replicated in the new design. The bottom two floors are classroom and auditorium spaces, while the upper floors are offices for faculty and graduate students.
The façade can be separated into two major sections, the existing and the new construction. The existing limestone façade is stone cladding on a concrete wall. The new construction is primarily a curtain wall system with metal panels on steel studs or metal cladding on a concrete wall. On top of the seventh floor of the building there is a small area that is brick on steel studs.
The roofing of the building is primarily metal decking with 1/2" of board then 3.5" of insulation followed by another 1/2" board with EPDM coating. This system is designed to be waterproof and to provide thermal resistance. However, there is an approximately 750 SF terrace roof above the third floor of the building on the north side. This roof is constructed of a structural slab with pedestals and IPE deck tiles. The construction of this roof is different because it is designed for public access.
Building Enclosure
Sustainability
The Perelman Center is intended to be a LEED Silver project. To reduce the energy use of the building the mechanical system includes two energy recovery units which are primarily serviced by gravity ventilators. Together, the two energy recovery units supply 61,000 CFM of air to the building. The building also utilizes over 120 chilled beams and radiant floor heating to provide energy efficient climate control. The abundance of glass façade allows for natural lighting. Where there is not enough natural light due to time of day or location in the building, the lighting fixtures chosen are almost entirely LED. LED lights provide large energy savings compared to traditional fluorescent or incandescent lights.
Section of Metal Cladding Wall
Rendering of West Façade
Zoning and Codes
The model code used for the project was IBC 2009 as the building is being constructed in Pennsylvania. The city of Philadelphia has made some modifications to this code and refers to the building code as the Philadelphia Building Code which can be found online here.
The Perelman Center is located at 133 South 36th Street, Philadelphia PA, 19104. This location is designated as SP-INS, Institutional (Special Purpose), on the zoning map found at the link below. According to the aforementioned Philadelphia Building Code section 14-490, “The SP-INS, Institutional (Special Purpose) district is intended to encourage the development of institutional uses, commercially-related facilities to service the institutional complex and area, and certain other nonresidential uses in accordance with an approved master plan, subject to certain limitations on the type of use and certain requirements for total area, gross floor area, percentage of land coverage, setbacks, off-street parking, off-street loading spaces, and signs.”
Construction
The Perelman Center was delivered with the Design-Bid-Build project delivery method. Construction started in December 2016 and is currently ongoing with an anticipated completion of The Spring of 2018. The entire project budget was approved at $77.6 million.
Structure
The structure is primarily a 12” thick, 2-way flat plate concrete slab supported by concrete columns. The columns are on an irregular grid and range in size from 18” by 18” to 28” by 28”. The concrete used below floor 3 is 7,000 psi compressive strength and all of the concrete used on floors 3 and above is 5,000 psi compressive strength. Due to the need for an auditorium with no columns coming through it on the ground floor, the second floor above it is supported by 2 trusses with hangers. In this area of the building, the floor system is 6.5” slab on deck supported by steel. The building primarily resists lateral forces with concrete moment frames, although, concrete shear walls and steel braced frames are also present. The foundation system is a combination of spread footings, mat footings, drilled shafts, and underpinning of existing foundations.
Mechanical
The top floor of the building is a mechanical penthouse that houses an energy recovery unit and various other equipment. The energy recovery unit is serviced by gravity ventilators and supplies 58,000 CFM of air to the building. There is an additional energy recovery unit that supplies the auditorium space with 3,000 CFM of air. The building also has radiant floor heating, active chilled beams, and hot water heating coils.
Lighting and Electrical
A large amount of daylight is supplied to the building due to the amount of glass façade. In areas or times with insufficient daylight, the primarily LED lighting system illuminates the building. An existing substation supplies power to 6 dry type transformers and 5 K-13 rated transformers. The K-13 rated transformers are designed to handle harmonic loads and prevent heat from generating.
Fire Protection
Due to the concrete structure (12” normal weight concrete), the building has a high fire rating between floors. The building is also fully equipped with a fire alarm system and sprinkler system.
Telecommunications
The Perelman Center is equipped with standard phone lines. In addition, there are several video conferencing cameras, assistive listening wall mounted antennas, and various other audio and video devices.
Transportation
Three elevators are located centrally in the building and provide access to all floors of the building. There is a stair tower in the new addition that changes location on the third floor. The existing structure also has a stair tower. In addition to these two stair towers, there is also a monumental stair on the ground floor that provides access to only the first three floors.