Purdue Engineers Test Earthquake Resistance

Civil engineers at Purdue University are using a specialized laboratory to test a 32-ft.-tall structure resembling a portion of one type of U.S. Army barracks built on the West Coast to determine the susceptibility of aging military buildings to earthquake damage.

"This project came about because the military has some barracks built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before the development of current building codes, and there is interest in understanding the integrity of those structures," said Michael Kreger, a professor of civil engineering and director of the university's Robert L. and Terry L. Bowen Laboratory for Large-Scale Civil Engineering Research.

Features in the laboratory include a testing area with a "strong floor" and 40-ft.-high reaction wall containing numerous holes in which to anchor powerful hydraulic actuators that apply forces to large-scale structural models.

The engineers constructed a 32-ft.-tall building model in the lab resembling a portion of the interior of Army barracks built in states on the West Coast. The hydraulic equipment will be used to simulate the lateral loads induced by the ground motion of earthquakes.

Earthquakes cause portions of a structure to momentarily deform. The engineers are using various instruments attached to the structure to determine precisely how much deformation takes place in different parts of the building when subjected to the forces.

Officials are concerned that a powerful enough earthquake could cause supporting columns in the barracks to separate from the reinforced-concrete floor slabs, resulting in collapse.

Precast Course Started At Milwaukee College

Waukesha-based Spancrete Group Inc. has announced its sponsorship of a new course offered through University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

The course, The Spancrete Studio, will explore the role of architectural and structural precast concrete and its relationship to today's architectural design standards.

Students will be exposed to real projects in Wisconsin and Illinois through the Spancrete sponsorship.

Acting Associate Dean Gil Snyder and Assistant Adjunct Professor Matthew Jarosz will teach the course.

As part of the Spancrete's sponsorship commitment, Spancrete has agreed to provide guest lecturers from the industry, technical information from industry sources, plant tours, jobsite tours and hands-on exposure to current Spancrete projects. The semester-long course is limited to 12 students who are enrolled in graduate level courses or are juniors or seniors.

Indianapolis Wholesale District Showcases Painted Identity

As part of the Indianapolis Cultural Districts Identity Rollout, the city's Wholesale District has raised awareness by creating gateways to welcome visitors.

Two metal murals, each about 8 ft. tall by 18 ft. wide, are being attached to the north and south faces of the Union Station viaduct on South Meridian Street. The murals will remain at these locations permanently.

The mural features the Wholesale District logo with the words "Welcome to the Main Event" on the south viaduct face and "Front and Center" on the north viaduct face. The logo is surrounded with images of Wholesale District attributes including theater, music, shopping, sports and dining icons.

In April, Indianapolis Downtown Inc., a nonprofit that promotes the city, had announced a Wholesale District Facade Grant Program to enhance the district's appearance and vitality. The program focused on improving the pedestrian environment; enhancing artistic or architectural lighting; improving the external appearance of storefronts; preserving historic properties and encouraging economic development.

In addition to IDI's facade program, the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission helped fund a pilot lighting project. The first two projects, Indiana Repertory Theatre and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Symphony Center, combined the IDI facade program and Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission grants to complete the projects.

Purdue Residence Hall Gets Five Design Honors

A Purdue University dining court and residence hall have each been honored with national design awards, making five design awards that University Residences projects have earned during the past year.

University Residences is a completely self-supporting unit of the university.

Overland Park, Kan.-based American School and University magazine has recognized the Fred and Mary Ford Dining Court with a Silver Citation for new cafeterias and food-service areas, and renovations to Cary Quadrangle West were named an Outstanding Design among residences halls and lounges.

The awards take into account new construction at schools and universities throughout the country that has been completed since 2003.

In recognizing Ford Dining Court, judges emphasized the "use of daylight and detailing (that) turns a large space into intimate dining nooks." The two-story facility, which opened in August 2004, has seating for 800 and is open to students, faculty, staff and the community.

It is part of a $48 million upgrade of Purdue dining services, which also includes completed renovations of dining facilities in other facilities.

For Cary Quadrangle, the magazine honored renovations to a large lounge, laundry and vending area. The lounge is part of a $55 million renovation that is enlarging rooms and giving a refurbished look to the hall.

The renovations will decrease the number of spaces for residents from 1,555 to approximately 1,170, and will add larger double rooms, semi-private bathrooms and air conditioning. Efforts were taken to retain the historical features in the hall built in 1928 while equipping it with modern amenities.