Featured Project : National Museum of American Jewish History
Eva Pohoriljakova , Project Leader

 

In February 2008, Berlin Steel awarded Dowco the contract to detail The National Museum of American Jewish History – a 100,000 square-foot, 1210 Imp. ton structure.

The museum is located in Philadelphia, situated between the Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It will be open in the Fall of 2010.

This five storey building has a very unusual floor and wall framing concept: the boxed frames are supported by plate girders at ground floor.

The connections for this job were challenging for detailing and required many coordinations. There were four different panel connection types - bracing member connection type, inter panel connection type, base panel connection type and top panel connection type.

The tube framing connections in the panels called for mostly C.P. welds. These connections were covered by gusset plates for the bracing. Many of the gusset plates were extended up the frame vertical channels to provide stiffening.

The inter panel shop and field connection splices had cantilevered beams going through them between two braced frames. Many of bracing inter panel connections into the toes of vertical frame channels were inaccessible for bolting and required nuts to be epoxyed on in the shop.

The frame base plates and top plates were tapered to accept shop connected plates between them with shims.

Hand holes for bolt access were required at the bottoms and tops of the frames. Everyone, who was involved with this project, deserves acknowledgements for a great effort and a job well done.

Many thanks to John Kane of Berlin Steel, who co-ordinated this difficult job on a very professional level.