Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building, Purdue University Northwest

American Structurepoint provided structural engineering services for the $40.5 million Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building on the Purdue University Northwest's (PNW) campus in Hammond, Indiana. The 68,000-sft state-of-the art STEM center maximizes student research, lab, and study space with an emphasis on cross-discipline collaboration among the PNW biology and nursing faculty and students. The building that opened for the fall 2020 semester is a 3-story braced frame structure with a mechanical penthouse. It is framed with structural steel wide-flange columns and composite wide-flange steel floor framing. The roof system is a hybrid of a composite slab on metal deck at the mechanical penthouse and a structural steel roof deck secured to open web steel joists for the remaining area.

Elevated floor areas and slab-on grade feature exposed polished concrete slabs. Because polished concrete requires specialized construction considerations, our structural engineers collaborated with Purdue's team as well as specialty contractors to define appropriate design parameters and expectations for the completed product. The structural team coordinated with the architectural team to economically design the full building width monumental stair to give the appearance that it is unsupported. The structural team also set out early to work with the architect, lab equipment suppliers, and mechanical suppliers to understand the vibration sensitive areas of the structure to design the floor systems within acceptable vibration limits. Due to poor in-situ soil conditions, the structural team worked with the geotechnical engineer to determine the best course for soil remediation. Rammed aggregate piers (RAP) are used under all columns, walls, and elevator mat foundations condition the in-situ soil to an acceptable allowable bearing pressure.