 |
|
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
| Jun 3, 2011
BIM software helps Michigan college students improve building performance
With Autodesk Revit Architecture, Western Michigan University students model campus buildings for energy analysis, renovations and retrofits
| May 10, 2011
Solar installations on multifamily rooftops aid social change
The Los Angeles Business Council's study on the feasibility of installing solar panels on the city’s multifamily buildings shows there's tremendous rooftop capacity, and that a significant portion of that rooftop capacity comes from buildings in economically depressed neighborhoods. Solar installations could therefore be used to create jobs, lower utility costs, and improve conditions for residents in these neighborhood.
| Mar 10, 2011
Taking ‘PIM’ Beyond E-mail
Newforma enhances its Project Center information management platform with a Revit add-in’ and mobile capability.
| Feb 10, 2011
Medical Data Center Sets High Bar for BIM Design Team
The construction of a new data center becomes a test case for BIM’s ability to enhance project delivery across an entire medical campus.
| Feb 10, 2011
Zero Energy Buildings: When Do They Pay Off in a Hot and Humid Climate?
There’s lots of talk about zero energy as the next big milestone in green building. Realistically, how close are we to this ambitious goal? At this point, the strategies required to get to zero energy are relatively expensive. Only a few buildings, most of them 6,000 sf or less, mostly located in California and similar moderate climates, have hit the mark. What about larger buildings, commercial buildings, more problematic climates? Given the constraints of current technology and the comfort demands of building users, is zero energy a worthwhile investment for buildings in, for example, a warm, humid climate?
| Jan 28, 2011
Firestone Building Products Unveils FirestoneRoof Mobile Web App
Firestone Building Products Company unveiled FirestoneRoof, a first-of-its-kind free mobile web app. The FirestoneRoof mobile web app enables customers to instantly connect with Firestone commercial roofing experts and is designed to make it easier for building owners, facility managers, roofing consultants and others charged with maintaining commercial roofing systems to get the support they need, when they need it.
| Jan 25, 2011
Bloomberg launches NYC Urban Tech Innovation Center
To promote the development and commercialization of green building technologies in New York City, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has launched the NYC Urban Technology Innovation Center. This initiative will connect academic institutions conducting underlying research, companies creating the associated products, and building owners who will use those technologies.
