Southern Steel Engineers provided connection design and shop drawing review for the new Integrated Science Center at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. The project included 74,275 square feet of new construction and 8,919 square feet of renovations to the existing facility. In addition to delegated design services, SSE provided erection engineering that enabled the successful lifting of the building’s cupola as a single assembled piece.

Connection Scope
The connection design scope included standard and non-standard shear connections, axial beam connections, vertical brace connections, and moment beam connections.

Specific design challenges included HSS vertical bracing connections, flange plate moment connections at HSS columns, some involving skewed beam conditions, and shear connections at beams sloped more than 30 degrees, several of which were also skewed.

SSE also designed the specialty connections required for the cupola lifting frame, ensuring adequate strength and compatibility with the overall erection plan.

Erection Engineering Scope
The project’s erection engineering scope centered on the lifting and installation of the 68,000-pound cupola.

SSE performed lifting frame analysis to allow the cupola, complete with sides and windows, to be hoisted as a single unit. Strict deflection limits were evaluated to minimize the potential for cracking or damage to cupola sides or windows during the lift.

Additional tasks included designing lifting lug connections, developing connections from columns to the outboard of the cupola profile, and preparing temporary foundation, base plate, and anchor rod designs to support cupola construction prior to lifting.