When Virginia Tech set out to replace a circa 1949 residence building, Femoyer Hall, not only did they face the challenge of matching the campus’s Collegiate Gothic style, but they also needed an efficient design and rapid construction to get the building into service quickly. Utilizing the flexibility and resilience of precast concrete products, Tindall delivered a total-precast concrete structure that will serve the University’s Corps Cadets for decades to come.
Owner
Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University
Architect
Clarknexsen Inc. Charlotte NC
Contractor
Vannoy Construction
Location
Blacksburg, VA
The structure of the new five-story Upper Quad North Residence Hall features insulated wall panels, solid precast walls, T-SLAB® floors, shear walls, and precast stair stringers and landings.
To maximize the efficiency of this total precast structure, Tindall employed the T-SLAB® floor system. At three times the width of comparable products, this system decreases the overall number of pieces required for the project. While also allowing for longer spans and maximum clear heights to deliver more open usable space inside the building.
These slabs were twelve inches deep and delivered to the site in a paint-ready condition so that no additional framing or finishing was required for finished ceilings. T-SLAB® joints were located under interior partition walls such that joints are not visible in individual rooms providing a seamless appearance.
In general, the T-SLABs spanned from exterior insulated precast wall panels to interior solid precast wall panels. In other areas, the slabs spanned continuously between exterior walls with the interior precast walls also providing support. This framing system optimized the number of precast pieces creating an efficient structure as compared to other more conventional systems.
To quickly get the building into service, Tindall cast in electrical conduit and boxes for lighting within the T-SLAB pieces. In addition, plumbing and mechanical openings were cast within the precast floors, roof, and walls. The T-SLABs used at the roof level allowed for attachment of the highly detailed architectural roof system.
The exterior of the total precast was clad with both architectural precast and Virginia Tech’s traditional Hokie Stone style veneer. To accommodate these applications, Tindall coordinated and cast plates and inserts for the attachment of this architectural trim work and provided support for the stone. The exterior walls were non-composite with continuous insulation which allowed for attachment of the stone and precast trim pieces as necessary without a break in the thermal envelope. As a result, the interior face of the insulated panels provided high R-values and were all delivered in paint-ready condition. Thanks to these features amongst others, the Upper Quad North Residence Hall will provide comfortable living quarters and more than three hundred beds for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.
