LEWIS KATZ BUILDING
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA
JIAQI LI | MECHANICAL
ADVISOR: DR. GREG PAVLAK
Building Statistics
Location: 651 Bigler Road, University Park, PA 16802
Construction Dates: January 2007 to January 2009
Occupant Name: the Law School and the Graduate School of International Affairs
Occupancy Type: High Education
Total Building Area: 114,000 square feet
Number of Stories: 4 Stories
Overall Original Project Cost: Approximately $60 million (Combined cost of the building and design fee etc.)
Project Delivery Method: Construction Management-Agency
Project Team
Architect: Ennead Architects (http://www.ennead.com/)
Structural: Silman (http://www.silman.com/)
MEP: WSP Flack + Kurtz, Inc. (https://www.wsp.com/en-US)
Civil: Gannett Fleming, Inc. (http://www.gannettfleming.com/)
Landscape: Hargreaves Associates (http://www.hargreaves.com/)
Lighting: Brandston Partnership, Inc. (http://www.brandston.com/)
Graphics: Poulin + Morris, Inc (http://www.poulinmorris.com/)
Acoustics/AV/Security/Telecom/Data: Shen Milsom & Wilke (http://www.smwllc.com/)
Curtainwall: Heintges & Associates (https://heintges.com/)
Sustainability: Viridian Energy & Environmental, LLC (http://www.viridian.com/)
Parking: Walker Parking Consultants (https://walkerconsultants.com/)
Elevator: Iros Elevator Design Services, Inc. (http://www.iroselevator.com/)
Specifications: Robert Schwartz & Associates (http://www.rsaspecs.com/)
Code/Life Safety: Hughes Associates, Inc. (https://www.jensenhughes.com/)
Cost Estimating: Stuart-Lynn Company, Inc. (https://stuart-lynn.com/)
Photography: Jeff Goldberg/Esto, Albert Vecerka/Esto,(http://esto.com/)
Aislinn Weidele/Ennead Architects (http://www.ennead.com/)
Architecture
For responding to the agrarian site and the geology of the valley, the two ends of Lewis Katz Building are oriented toward distinct contexts. The building’s sinuous form is unique with its large curtain wall.
One of the most important part of this design is the law library where students will spend much of their time in.The library is conceived as a continuous looping circulation system that will provide different types of study environments.
Building Enclosure
The unique shape of the Lewis Katz Building makes it a landmark of Penn State University with its large curtain walls. The building’s sinuous form made many critical points to the curtain wall system.
From the drawings, the designer used x-y-z location of each critical point to make sure the location of every piece of the curtain wall system is in place.
Facade:
According to the information provided by the Heintges & Associates the primary curtain wall facades is unitized glass and aluminum curtain wall system accommodates subtle curves at north and south elevations and incorporates low-e, fritted, transparent, and translucent glass. The second curtain wall system at east and west elevations accommodates alternating mullions incorporating low-e clear glass and is supported on a system of steel strong-backs. Both ends are framed with a surround of aluminum panel cladding.
Roofing:
The roofing system of the Lewis Katz building includes a skylight system and a vegetated green roof system.
The vegetated green roof system is sitting on the garden drain medium with moisture retention mat under it. The drain medium will connect to the drain dome on the room.
Sustainability Features
The Lewis Katz Building have been LEED-certified since 2010. The most noticeable feature is the vegetated green roof of the building. The other sustainability features are abundance of natural day lighting in the building’s public spaces, bike racks and locally sourced materials etc.
Primary Engineering Systems
Construction:
Construction for the Lewis Katz Building started in January 2007 and ended in January 2009, total takes approximately 24 months. The Project Delivery Method is Construction Management-Agency. The total cost of the project is approximately $60 million (Combined cost of the building and design fee etc.). The building is 4 stories high with 114,000 square feet total building area.
Structural:
The main structural of the Lewis Katz Building consists of structural steel wide flange beams, columns and structural tees. The floors are typical lightweight concrete slab (4,000 psi) on gage composite metal deck reinforce with 6x6-W2.0xW2.0WWF. All footings, piers, walls of the building is bear on sound rock with a minimum bearing capacity of 12,000 psf(6 tons). Welded wire fabric (WWF) is conform to ASTM A185, with a minimum yield strength of 70,000 PSI.
Electrical:
The main power for this building from a new 15kV cable furnished, installed and terminated by the University. It is connected to a 1500kVA, 12.47 kV primary 480Y/277V FR3 filled, FM approved outdoor transformer furnished, installed and terminated by the university. Then it connected with the main switch board SB-1. The main switch board is 480Y/277V, 3 phase, 4W+G 2000A rated CU BUS with draw out circuit breaker construction 100,000 AIC.
There is also a 250kW/312.5 kVA, 480Y/277V, 3 phase, 4W 0.8 PF diesel fired emergency stand by generator in outdoor enclosure.
Lighting:
The lighting fixture of the Lewis Katz Building is different for the vinous usage of the space.
Recessed MR16 multi-lamp adjustable accentwith (2) 75W, MR16, NFL lamps is mainly used in classrooms . Recessed wall mounted 4" aperture lensed fluorescent with (1) 32W,T8, 3500K lamp is mainly used for stairs.Recessed 6" aperture wide beam CMH downlight with (1) 39W, PAR30 FL CMH,3000K lamp is mainly used for library stacks. Recessed 6" aperture CMH downlight with (1) 70W, PAR30 SP CMH,3000K lamp is mainly used for library at reading room curtain wall. Recessed CFL meso-optic high performance 2x2 troffer with (1) 40W Biax CFL,3500K lamp is mainly used for typical office.
Mechanical:
The main mechanical system of the Lewis Katz building includes a hot-steam system, a hot water system and a chilled water system. Sven air handling units located in the mechanical room will provide fresh air to the different zones of the building.
Campus high pressure steam enters the basement level utility tunnel and be converted to low pressure steam via a single stage parallel pressure reducing station. Compressed air from the campus compressed air system is supplied to each pressure reducing valve and condensate pump. Low pressure steam will be supplied to the plate and frame heat exchanger to produce hot water for building heating system.
The hot water system consists of two (2) plate and frame, steam to water heat exchangers. Low pressure steam from the pressure reducing valve station is supplied to the heat exchangers making hot water for the hot water heating system, various VAV box heating coils, unit heaters and air handling unit pre-heat coils.
Chilled water from the campus chilled water system will serve for the building's cooling load. The chilled water system consists of two(2) end suction centrifugal pumps (one active, one stand-by) connected to the campus chilled water system with a capacity of 605 GPM at 50 feet of head pressure powered by a 15 HP variable frequency drive motor. These chilled water pumps serve all the air handling units in the north and west mechanical rooms in the basement level and fan coil units throughout the building. Each chilled water coil has an automatic control valve carrying the flow as the cooling load changes.
Additional Engineering and Engineering Support Systems
Fire Protection:
The Lewis Katz Building is entirely sprinkled follow the requirement of the International building code. The figure shows the Fire stand pipe/sprinkler riser diagram. The building's fire protection system is connected to the central fire pump with a 8" fire service.
Transportation:
There are total four(4) elevators serves the Lewis Katz building. PE1 and SE3 serve all four floors of the building. PE2 serves basement, 2nd floor and 3rd floor. PE4 sever the basement, 1st floor mezz 2nd floor, and 3rd floor of the building.
Telecommunication:
There are total six(6) telecom room located in the building. Room T003, T103, T203, T303, T021 and T125. The typical room layout is shown as the figure below.
