In September 2017, the Design Building at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst was completed. The $52 million project is one of the largest timber structures in the USA and one of the largest timber-concrete composite projects in the world.
The four-story university building, with a floor area of 87,500 ft², includes three faculties on the premises of UMass Amherst with offices, studios, lecture halls, and laboratories.
Investor
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
www.umass.edu
Architectural Design
Leers Weinzapfel Associates Architects Boston, MA, USA
www.lwa-architects.com
Structural Design
Equilibrium Consulting Inc. Vancouver, BC, Canada
www.eqcanada.com
3D model (© Alex Schreyer / UMass)
The four-story university building, with a floor area of 87,500 ft², includes three faculties on the premises of UMass Amherst with offices, studios, lecture halls, and laboratories.
Investor
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
www.umass.edu
Architectural Design
Leers Weinzapfel Associates Architects Boston, MA, USA
www.lwa-architects.com
Structural Design
Equilibrium Consulting Inc. Vancouver, BC, Canada
www.eqcanada.com
3D model (© Alex Schreyer / UMass)
Submodels
Steel Trusses and Timber-Concrete Composite Beams
No Download Possible
Customer Project / View Only
Number of Nodes | 83 |
Number of Lines | 153 |
Number of Members | 150 |
Number of Load Cases | 3 |
Number of Load Combinations | 3 |
Total Weight | 58.335 tons |
Dimensions (Metric) | 25.847 x 18.532 x 11.368 m |
Dimensions (Imperial) | 84.8 x 60.8 x 37.3 feet |
Program Version | 5.12.01 |
![KB 001883 | Plate Girder Design According to AISC 360-22 in RFEM 6](/en/webimage/051561/3980997/im1.png?mw=512&hash=b8237709c4f30213fac51d86d32a42bddde72f03)
Plate girder is an economical choice for long spans construction. I-section steel plate girder typically has a deep web to maximize its shear capacity and flange separation, yet thin web to minimize the self-weight. Due to its large height-to-thickness (h/tw) ratio, transverse stiffeners may be required to stiffen the slender web.
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Understanding steel connection rigidity is crucial in structural design. Often, connections are treated as strictly pinned or rigid, but this can lead to uneconomical or even dangerous designs. Explore how Dlubal Software's RFEM and Steel Joints add-on help verify connection stiffness and moment resistance, ensuring safer and more economical designs.
![Timber Panel Wall Stiffnesses](/en/webimage/049956/3893282/49956.png?mw=512&hash=8dfc2b6d0af6ade74073e21655c6a73a34a77751)
In this article, the calculation of a timber panel wall with the beam panel thickness type is compared with a manual calculation.
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Using the Timber Design add-on, timber column design is possible according to the 2018 NDS standard ASD method. Accurately calculating timber member compressive capacity and adjustment factors is important for safety considerations and design. The following article will verify the maximum critical buckling strength calculated by the Timber Design add-on using step-by-step analytical equations as per the NDS 2018 standard including the compressive adjustment factors, adjusted compressive design value, and final design ratio.
![Add-on "Steel Joints for RFEM 6" | Component Library](/en/webimage/043097/3898884/steel_joints_components.png?mw=512&hash=e4f835906155863fc7019d5043b22e553dc766f9)
- Numerous component types, such as base and end plates, web angles, fin plates, gusset plates, stiffeners, tapers, or ribs for easy input of typical connection situations
- Universally applicable basic components (such as plates, welds, bolts, auxiliary planes) for modeling complex connection situations
- Graphical display of the connection geometry with dynamic updating during the input
- Wide range of cross-section shapes: I-sections, U-sections, angles, T-sections, hollow sections, built-up cross-sections and thin-walled sections
- Library in the Dlubal Center with a large number of program-side template connections, including user-defined templates
- Automatic adaptation of the connection geometry based on the relative arrangement of the components to each other – even in case of subsequent editing of the structural components
![Feature 002824 | OSB Material for USA and Canada](/en/webimage/050460/3955503/2024-06-28_10-42-39.png?mw=512&hash=5ec86ff7955d8c9a50e53301df3f21fceda009a5)
In RFEM, the oriented strand board (OSB) material is available for the USA and Canada. The material parameters are taken from the "Panel Design Specification manual".
![Feature 002820 | Limit Plastic Strain for Welds](/en/webimage/050344/3881226/1.png?mw=512&hash=9d7f6c198b6d4ae6ee8f2fa8bca75f85579e14c9)
In the ultimate configuration of the steel joint design, you have the option to modify the limit plastic strain for welds.
![Component "Base Plate"](/en/webimage/050345/3936120/50345.png?mw=512&hash=3bd641cb1a2445804b338855e4debfc40c6563e9)
The "Base Plate" component allows you to design base plate connections with cast-in anchors. In this case, plates, welds, anchorages, and steel-concrete interaction are analyzed.
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