Saiful Bouquet had the opportunity to witness the steel topping of the 135,000 sf Robert Day Sciences Center at the Claremont McKenna College. Designed by the visionary architects at BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, this ‘hashtag-shaped’ building is set to be exceptional, reflecting the college’s dedication to innovation. Featuring floor-to-ceiling glass facades and indoor terraces, the building’s design fosters dynamic interactions across disciplines and the campus while providing a visually stunning and functional space filled with natural light.
Faced with the exciting challenge of limited vertical overlap between floors, long-span floors (up to 52′ clear), stringent vibration criteria to meet (2,000 mips), and the need to have a robust seismic design given its proximity to some of the most active seismic faults, our team developed a creative structural solution consisting of a hybrid scheme involving steel construction and concrete shear walls for seismic bracing. A comprehensive deformation compatibility analysis was also performed to ensure the proper design of the steel trusses.
Collaborating with BIG on this unique project has been a truly wonderful experience for our team. Congratulations to the College, Herrick, KPRS and all of our other collaborators on achieving this major milestone! We eagerly anticipate the completion of the science center, expected in 2025.
