Trippe Hall
Penn State University
Erie, PA
Kayla Clatty
Construction Management
Advisor: Dr. David Riley
Analysis 1: Prefabricated Plumbing
Many trades must coordinate in order to work on certain areas in the project. If the coordination can be started earlier in the design phase, then those efforts can go into prefabricating certain aspects of a building. The main area that the Trippe Hall project can benefit from prefabrication is the single-person bathrooms. They are repetitive units that can be constructed off site and delivered to the project. By doing this, the amount of workers in that space will be reduced and the safety for workers will increase since they can work at a reasonable height off the ground.
Analysis 2: Geothermal Wells for Mechanical System
Geothermal wells provide a better life-cycle cost compared to typical mechanical systems. Since dormitories on Penn State campuses are intended to last about 50 years, it would be beneficial to invest in a mechanical system that can support this goal. The project site is relatively large and a parking lot beside it that could provide enough space to incorporate the geothermal system on the project.
Analysis 3: Foundation Types
Due to the geotechnical report, the structural engineer designed a very conservative foundation for the building by over-sizing it. This increased the cost for the concrete contractors immensely. The project team attempted to find other types of foundations that would not increase cost, but the time constraint required them to move forward with the original design. The analysis will compare another foundation type that could be used for this building in place of the over-sized foundation to see if it is more cost effective.
Analysis 4: Promoting Prefabrication
There are many companies that do not pursue prefabrication even though it is a growing solution in the construction industry. Since a company has to know if they are prefabricating from the design phase to be successful, it is important to know the capabilities of the company, and how they pursue their prefabricated equipment and materials. There are many ways to prefabricate, and some contractors have embraced this but some have not. The analysis will evaluate the leading causes of why prefabrication has not been embraced across all companies and trades.
Breadth 1: Mechanical Breadth
The first breadth analysis will be evaluating the geothermal wells in Analysis 2. The layout of the project provides ample space for geothermal wells. Geothermal wells typically need a minimum radial distance from each other so that they can act efficiently with transferring heat loads to and from the surrounding soil. The analysis will show that geothermal wells are beneficial or not for the project and life-cycle of the building.
Breadth 2: Structural Breadth
The second breadth analysis will be evaluating the structural foundation of the building found in Analysis 3. Not only will this show that different foundation types are possible for one building, but it will confirm if the alternative system will be possible in a structural standpoint compared to the cost analysis being provided in Analysis 3. Loading and footer design will be executed in order to confirm the analysis.
Along with this depth analyses will look into the cost, schedule, logistics, and life-cycle of systems in the project to see if other routes could be beneficial for the current project from a construction standpoint.
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Final Proposal
Revised Final Proposal
Thesis Proposal
The goal of the Architectural Engineering Senior Thesis is to use the information learned in classes over the past four years to analyze a building currently under construction. These analyses will include two breadths that are based on the design engineering taught within the AE major, such as structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, lighting, and acoustical.