top of page
This site was designed with the
.com
website builder. Create your website today.Start Now

General Building Data

Building Name:                                               PSU Abington Student Apartments

Location & Site:                                               Abington, PA

Building Occupant Name:                             Penn State

Function Type:                                                Student Apartments (Off-Campus)

Size:                                                                   138,000 SF

Levels:                                                               5

Dates of Construction:                                   January 2016 - August 2017

Cost:                                                                  $50 Million (Overall Project Cost)

Project Delivery Method:                               Design-Build

Project Team:

Architecture

The new PSU Abington Residence Hall & Student Apartments project is a 138,000 SF building totaling 5 floors in the shape of a “Z” seen in Figure 1, with space for over 400 beds and 2 Resident Life apartments. The construction of the building is “block & plank”. In other words, masonry construction walls of the building are both load bearing and end bearing and support the 20 foot by 4 foot precast tensioned concrete planks at each level.

Figure 1: West Far View

Codes:

PSU Abington Student Apartments is classified as a Type IIA, Sprinklered, Group ‘R-2’ Residential, Group ‘B’ Business Accessory Occupancy (Office Suite). Additional specific codes are bulleted below:

  • INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE 2009 (IBC)

  • CHAPTER 11 AND APPENDIX 'E' OF INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE 2012

  • ICC/ANSI A117.1-2009 (ANSI) (2003 EDITION USED FOR FAIR HOUSING ACT PURPOSES)

  • NFPA 70-2008, NATIONAL ELECTRIC CODE

  • INTERNATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE 2009

  • INTERNATIONAL FIRE CODE 2009

  • INTERNATIONAL FUEL GAS CODE 2009

  • INTERNATIONAL MECHANICAL CODE 2009

  • INTERNATIONAL PLUMBING CODE, 2009 EDITION, INCLUDING APPENDIXES B, C, D, E, F AND G

  • 2010 ADA STANDARDS FOR ACCESSIBLE DESIGN

 

Zoning:

Zoning of the building is requirement dictated by the local county of Abington, PA. The Zoning use and occupancy classification for this project is Group R-2 Residential.

 

Historical Requirements:

There are no historical requirements for this project.

Building Enclosure

Building Facades:

There are two major types of building facades for this project. The first is typical brick veneer and is a majority of the structure. As seen in Figure 2, the wall assembly features a structural masonry wall with brick ties, a layer of foam serving as both an insulator and vapor barrier, and finally the brick veneer.

Figure 2: Typical Brick Wall Assembly

Another fairly common façade for this project is the “storefront” featuring a glass/curtain wall like assembly as seen in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Typical Storefront/Glass Wall Assembly

Roofing:

PSU Abington Student apartments features a TPO Roofing system. As seen in Figure 4, the roof is simply topped off with precast concrete plank supported by masonry walls below. Laying on top of the concrete plank is WWF, vapor barrier and insulation, and then finally a 3” topping of the white TPO Membrane making the roof fully covered . There are also two foot tall parapets around the edge of the building. As a result, safety anchors had to be installed on the roof in several locations for when Penn State OPP has to do future maintenance on the roof to still follow OSHA’s regulations.

Figure 4: Roof Section/Detail

Sustainability Features

This project earned LEED certification and is one of the first projects in the Abington Township to do so. A key contributing factor to this certification is the fact that the project is less than a half-mile away from campus so students can walk, bike, or ride a shuttle with bike- and car-sharing programs.

Building Systems Summary

Demolition:

The existing Site featured a Saturn Car Dealership and adjacent parking lot taking up the entire space for the proposed project. Both the dealership and parking lot required demolition. 

Structural:

The structural system for the PSU Abington Student Apartments features “Block & Plank” construction with limited use of steel. All plank is precast concrete and is in the dimensions of 4’ x 20’. The plank is supported by load bearing and end bearing masonry walls. Structural steel is used in limited areas on site only where there is a curtain wall/storefront façade.

Mechanical:

Due to this project being a Student Apartment building supporting over 400 students, mechanical loads will be in demand and the system is required to be user friendly with students being in control to dictate the comfort of their living spaces. PSU Abington Student Apartments features three Air Handling Units, two condenser pumps, 5 hot water pumps, and two heat pumps. There is also one cooling tower for this project. The boiler schedule includes three different boilers with a heating capacity of 2,000 MBH. The mechanical system is also vertically stacked for execution efficiency. Each room will also include A/C units in which students can maintain control.

Electrical:

Similar to the mechanical system for this project, the electrical system stacked to increase execution efficiency and coordination relation to the laying out of electrical conduits. As set forth by Penn State, no MC cable is used on site and all electrical conduits are to not be exposed. This has required special coordination between the masons and electricians to place concrete in between and through structural block walls. Regarding electrical loading, usage, and execution, the electrical system features four electrical Busways:

​

  1. North Apartment Busway – 800A – 208/120V – 3PH – 4W

  2. South Apartment Busway – 800A – 208/120V – 3PH – 4W

  3. North Receptacle Busway – 400A – 208/120V – 3PH – 4W

  4. North Receptacle Busway – 400A – 208/120V – 3PH – 4W

Masonry:

Masonry holds the biggest contract for this project. Not only is it a key structural element, but it is also the major aesthetic feature for the project enclosing more than 95 percent of the projects exterior skin. Located around the perimeter of the site are self-rising scaffolding platforms, increasing the space of the site for movement and material laydown. It also makes the job for the masons safer and more efficient.

Support of Excavation:

This project required excavation to support deep foundations – geopiers.

bottom of page