 |
|
The use of BIM software helped the Building Team overcome tight site conditions along Chicago’s lakefront during the renovation project. |
To complete the $55 million renovation of the historic John G. Shedd Aquarium in the allotted 17-month schedule, the Building Team had to move fast to renovate and update exhibit and back-of-house maintenance spaces, expand the visitor group holding area, upgrade the mechanical systems, and construct a single-story steel structure on top of the existing oceanarium to accommodate staff office space—all while the facility remained fully operational.
To help coordinate the complex construction schedule and deal with tight working conditions along Chicago's lakefront, the team—led by Walsh Construction and Valerio DeWalt Train—modeled a significant portion of the reconstruction work, including the 24,000-sf office addition, using building information modeling software. Crane location, material staging, steel hoisting and erection schedules, and patron/staff egress pathways were all carefully coordinated using BIM.
Other aspects of the project could not be so carefully anticipated due to unforeseen conditions in the 79-year-old structure. When the aquarium's three-million-gallon tank was drained to make way for a new pool lining, the team discovered that hydrostatic pressure was the only thing holding the acrylic viewing windows in place. To avoid the costly and time-consuming process of hoisting the massive windows out of the pool during the renovation, the team devised a clever structural bracing solution that used brackets installed underwater to hold the windows in place.
The team also had to devise three custom rolling scaffold platforms to permit installation of a new theatrical tension grid and A/V lighting systems to the oceanarium's structural trusses, which span as high as 80 feet over the pools. The special scaffold platforms were designed to cling to and roll along the bottom flanges of the trusses, and to flare out as they moved toward the curtain wall, providing workers safe access to the trusses.
“This was a technically challenging project, with a passionate client and lots of demands,” said Reconstruction Awards judge Matthew H. Johnson, PE, associate principal with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Waltham, Mass. —Dave Barista, Managing Editor
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
USGBC’s Greenbuild 2009 brings global ideas to local main streets
Save the planet with indigenous knowledge. Make permanent water part of your life. Dive deep water for clues to environmental success. Connect site selection to successful creative concepting. Explore the unknown with Discovery Channel’s best known guide. These are but a few of the big ideas participants can connect to at USGBC’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, taking place on November 11-13, 2009 in Phoenix, Ariz.
| Aug 11, 2010
ASHRAE introduces building energy label prototype
Most of us know the fuel efficiency of our cars, but what about our buildings? ASHRAE is working to change that, moving one step closer today to introducing its building energy labeling program with release of a prototype label at its 2009 Annual Conference in Louisville, Ky.
| Aug 11, 2010
USGBC considering LEED for Data Centers program
In a blog post this morning on Earth2Tech, Justin Moresco writes that the U.S. Green Building Council is giving strong consideration to developing a version of its LEED green building rating system for data centers.
| Aug 11, 2010
Johnson Controls announces program to help customers reduce chiller energy costs by up to 40%
Johnson Controls Inc., the global multi-industrial leader in providing energy efficiency solutions, is launching a new program to help owners of YORK® centrifugal chillers reduce chiller energy use by up to 40 percent. The program encourages facility managers to install variable-speed drive (VSD) technologies and identifies rebates and other financial incentives to assist with the payback.
| Aug 11, 2010
Theater Renovation—A First-Class Production
In 1985, the city of San Diego ordered the historic Balboa Theatre, its beleaguered performing arts center, to be shuttered due to seismic safety concerns. It would take another two decades to restore the landmark building.
| Aug 11, 2010
American Concrete Institute forms technical committee on BIM for concrete structures
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) announces the formation of a new technical committee on Building Information Modeling (BIM) of Concrete Structures.
| Aug 11, 2010
10 tips for mitigating influenza in buildings
Adopting simple, common-sense measures and proper maintenance protocols can help mitigate the spread of influenza in buildings. In addition, there are system upgrades that can be performed to further mitigate risks. Trane Commercial Systems offers 10 tips to consider during the cold and flu season.
| Aug 11, 2010
NAVFAC releases guidelines for sustainable reconstruction of Navy facilities
The guidelines provide specific guidance for installation commanders, assessment teams, estimators, programmers and building designers for identifying the sustainable opportunities, synergies, strategies, features and benefits for improving installations following a disaster instead of simply repairing or replacing them as they were prior to the disaster.
