Edwards Lifesciences Campus Expansion, Ph. 4
Edwards Lifesciences Campus Expansion, Ph. 4 | Irvine, California
The Mussallam Innovation Center (MIC) building, the fourth phase of the Campus Expansion project, is a three-story lab and office building that connects to the Dream Big Center. The 120,000-sq.-ft. core-and-shell project consisted of tilt-up concrete panels, punched windows, curtainwall, and a mass timber facade. Site work included additional paver walkways surrounding the building as well as an herb garden that features several raised planters with in-grade lighting and surrounding trees. The project is targeting LEED Gold certification.
Partners
About the
Project
The MIC building's mass timber facade, which DPR self-performed, includes exposed glulam beams and overhanging cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof deck. The inviting entryway and terrace help connect employees to the rest of campus via second-level pedestrian bridge and ground-level outdoor amenity area. While the mass timber scope came with unique challenges, DPR’s project team and self-perform group worked closely to complete the successful installation.
The
Challenges
Tight Site, Tight Tolerances
The jobsite is directly beneath the Orange County Airport flight path, wedged between an active building to the west and the sole campus delivery road supporting critical client operations to the east. In addition to being hemmed in on all sides, the mass timber installation involved tolerances of less than 1/16” for connections, due to the dovetail-like RICON® connectors used to attach the glulam beams to concrete walls, structural steel, and other wood beams.
Rigorous Quality Requirements
Mass timber, while a dynamic and sustainable material, also demands a higher level of quality control from fabrication to shipping, storage, and eventual installation on site. When exposed to the elements prematurely, dimensional and cosmetic changes can occur that compromise design. DPR’s self-perform team made a collective effort to preserve the wood’s original dimensions and natural aesthetic by putting several control measures in place.
Photo: Self-performing general contractors can better control schedule and supply chain on projects. Photo: Ben Reynolds
The
Challenges
Tight Site, Tight Tolerances
The jobsite is directly beneath the Orange County Airport flight path, wedged between an active building to the west and the sole campus delivery road supporting critical client operations to the east. In addition to being hemmed in on all sides, the mass timber installation involved tolerances of less than 1/16” for connections, due to the dovetail-like RICON® connectors used to attach the glulam beams to concrete walls, structural steel, and other wood beams.
Rigorous Quality Requirements
Mass timber, while a dynamic and sustainable material, also demands a higher level of quality control from fabrication to shipping, storage, and eventual installation on site. When exposed to the elements prematurely, dimensional and cosmetic changes can occur that compromise design. DPR’s self-perform team made a collective effort to preserve the wood’s original dimensions and natural aesthetic by putting several control measures in place.
Photo: Self-performing general contractors can better control schedule and supply chain on projects. Photo: Ben Reynolds
The
Solutions
Communication, Precision, and Self-Perform Skill
The tight site required constant communication with subcontractors to organize just-in-time deliveries and laydown areas to maintain access. Two-week advance notice for the owner was required for east-side work, as was a minimum of one-week advance notice to the OC Airport for any crane picks.
Our self-perform team skillfully navigated the sequencing of each individual mass timber beam to account for site constraints, storing and craning into place without causing cosmetic damage, and making last-minute adjustments to line up RICONs for an exact fit.
Extensive Control Measures, Shared Effort
QC measures included routinely covering and uncovering the mass timber during a very rainy winter, and keeping a detailed inspection log for each glulam beam containing photos of the RICON connectors with fireproofing, completed RICONs, beam ends, and the finished beam ledger.
Also, to protect the beams from potential cosmetic damage caused by the bracing system’s friction collars, DPR’s self-perform superintendent created an innovative solution. By fitting shrink-wrapped 4x6’s between the metal clamp and glulam beam, our improved collar kept the brace’s necessary tension while acting as a buffer to protect the beam’s surface. This and other measures, within a shared QC effort from all team members, supported an installation that met design goals.
The
Solutions
Communication, Precision, and Self-Perform Skill
The tight site required constant communication with subcontractors to organize just-in-time deliveries and laydown areas to maintain access. Two-week advance notice for the owner was required for east-side work, as was a minimum of one-week advance notice to the OC Airport for any crane picks.
Our self-perform team skillfully navigated the sequencing of each individual mass timber beam to account for site constraints, storing and craning into place without causing cosmetic damage, and making last-minute adjustments to line up RICONs for an exact fit.
Extensive Control Measures, Shared Effort
QC measures included routinely covering and uncovering the mass timber during a very rainy winter, and keeping a detailed inspection log for each glulam beam containing photos of the RICON connectors with fireproofing, completed RICONs, beam ends, and the finished beam ledger.
Also, to protect the beams from potential cosmetic damage caused by the bracing system’s friction collars, DPR’s self-perform superintendent created an innovative solution. By fitting shrink-wrapped 4x6’s between the metal clamp and glulam beam, our improved collar kept the brace’s necessary tension while acting as a buffer to protect the beam’s surface. This and other measures, within a shared QC effort from all team members, supported an installation that met design goals.
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