The Motorola Building was completed in 2002. An all steel structure was chosen to give longer spans and flexibility in interior planning.
According to Michael Allen of Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Litd., structural engineers for the Motorola Building, steel became the natural solution to the owner’s desire for a building with long spans, floors that permit flexible office layouts, and a short construction time. The floor plan of the Motorola Building consists of two rectangles that are mirror images of each other but as seen through a mirror set at a small angle, to achieve a slightly curved effect.
For the heavier design live loads on the one-half of the second floor of the Motorola Building, the impact on the size of the steel beam used was not a major issue as only a W610 was needed in place of a W530 used typically elsewhere. According to Mike Allen these composite floors also provided the owner with a very “strong floor”.
The use of shallower composite beams provides a deeper space between the underside of the steel beams and the ceiling in which to run the mechanical, electrical and other services which eliminates the need for web openings often required for non-composite beams. This simplifies trade coordination on site as well as at the design stage, reduces engineering time and detailing and fabrication costs. The composite beams of the Motorola Building needed only to be cut to length, to have the top flange coped, and be fitted with a simple shear connection at each end of the beam.
More information on this building can be found in Advantage Steel Magazine, Number 16, Fall 2002. |