Masonry Magazine January 1979 Page.31
A 37,000 sq. ft. warehouse, once used to house railroad freight cars on Baltimore's south side, served as a marshalling facility for the prefabricated panels. On an assembly line, panels were hauled by cable and carried on a 100-ft. overhead crane through each production stop.
First, welders attached relief angles and other metal accessories to the light gauge panels. Next, workers covered panel exteriors with a layer of gypsum sheathing, which was later coated with waterproof polyethylene vapor barrier. Brick ties, added later, allow the masonry to flex slightly without cracking. At the final stop, masons employed by Smoot applied brickwork to the rows of neatly arranged panels.
Completed panels, each weighing an average of 15,000 pounds, were then hauled outside, stored and sequenced while braced in steel carriages. The panels' size averages 12 ft. high by 17 ft., but varies in width from 10-24 ft. Because of extreme size and weight, the largest panels were bricked at the jobsite.
After delivery to the construction site, panels were fitted with handling brackets, lifted from the trailers in pre-planned sequence, and hoisted into position with the erector's 150-ton mobile "DEMAG" tower crane. Workers stationed on upper floors received each panel, placing it against the steel in-system boundary.
Prefabrication saved considerable time, money and manpower. Henry lauded the "swift, efficient erection process" as a direct result of using brick panels framed with light gauge steel studs. "By using a prefabrication shop, shipping panels to the site, and using cranes to lift the panels into place, the job went unbelievably fast," said Henry, who also pointed out that a ten-member on-site crew erected an average of 10 panels per day, but often installed as many as 20 per day.
Welch cited the cost savings and outstanding quality achieved with this breakthrough in highrise masonry and steel construction. "This unique loadbearing exterior wall system not only reduced construction costs by 10 percent, but will provide a significant savings in future operation and maintenance," he said.
The new building serves as a fitting tribute to the team of experts whose efforts to overcome various construction challenges resulted in a bold new concept in construction technology.
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Steel cables were installed as temporary fasteners to hold the panels in place as welders attached graphite-lubricated connection assemblies. Specially designed sliding connection assemblies, installed between the panel and in-system, allowed for the slight vertical movement which occurs as live loads are applied to the structural steel framework. Finally, panel joints were filled and caulked.
Steel cables were then installed as temporary fasteners to hold the panels in place as welders attached graphite-lubricated connection assemblies. Specially designed sliding connection assemblies, installed between the panel and in-system, allowed for the slight vertical movement which occurs as live loads are applied to the structural steel framework. Finally, panel joints were filled and caulked.
Sharing responsibility for on-the-job quality assurance were Korda, Nemeth, Kadakia and Jezerinac, Ltd., Columbus, Ohio, and A. J. Julicher & Associates, Potomac, Md. Project manager and vice president of the Smoot Co., Arthur K. Welch, and architect Robert Henry agreed that
ORIGINATORS OF
Pre-Fabricated Glass Block Panels
CUSTOM MADE TO YOUR REQUIREMENTS
NATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR
SCHALKE GLASS BLOCK - GERRIX HOLLOW
GLASS BLOCK
MANY STYLES AND SHAPES
SASH REPLACEMENT
SPECIALISTS IN THE INSTALLATION OF
GLASS BLOCK
FRED BEYER
7810 S. Claremont Chicago, III. 60620
(312) PR 8-4300
MASONRY/NOVEMBER DECEMBER, 1979 31