 The UPENN project was a new Teaching and Research building located in Philadelphia The structural steel fabricator was Helmark Steel in Wilmington, Delaware and the Architect / Engineer was Ballinger in Philadelphia. Although this was not a large project, at 1400 tons, the UPENN – SVM presented its own challenges and difficulties
Modeling and detailing of the West Perimeter beams, complete with segmented 3 sided plates, outriggers and skewed moment connections was an arduous job with Dowco providing the final geometry and layout of the components that satisfied the Architectural and Structural requirements and also Fabricator preferences. Another particularly difficult task was incorporating the hundreds of precast connections, which themselves had over 100 different details and 11 Erection diagrams. The Fabricator also requested that beams with shop installed bent plates be detailed with lifting lugs. The current trend with most fabricators these days is to use “choking” holes, rectangular openings cut in the bent plates, in lieu of the lifting lugs.
As is the case with most projects these days, the UPENN-SVM project had its share of revisions to incorporate. These changes, combined with the complexity of the perimeter beams and an aggressive turn-around schedule, contributed to long hours and weekend work being the rule rather than the exception. The staff in the Toronto office responded with dedication and a commitment to address these challenges.
 I would like this opportunity to acknowledge both Dominick D’Antonio and Geoff Crossan at Helmark Steel for their cooperation and diligence during this, at times, frustrating project, and also Mark Keller of Structural Consultants Inc. for his commitment and dedication. I also want to thank the staff in the Toronto office for their tireless effort towards the completion of this project.
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