Silman employed post-tensioned concrete framing to span the open floor plan and carry the residential tower above, with the depth of beams not exceeding 20 inches. The supporting concrete columns are spaced between 20 feet and 28 feet.
This new LEED Gold certified building is located within the Gallaudet College Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- This new LEED Gold certified building is located within the Gallaudet College Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The design of the Living and Learning Residence Hall 6 (LLRH6) comprises four residential floors –accommodating 165 student residents and 4 faculty apartments – located above a ground floor learning space which also houses a coffee bar, a large terraced living room, classrooms, offices, and a flexible collaboration studio. The application of DeafSpace Guidelines informed the design to promote interaction through clear sight lines and open spaces and create thoughtful connections and adjacencies.
The residential floors and main roof level are concrete slabs on composite, long-span metal decking supported on cold-formed steel framed bearing walls. The floor and wall construction were oriented toward maximum structural efficiency and economy of material and construction. Where the architectural design intent called for open floor plans at the upper levels, Silman designed supplemental steel framing. The open configuration of the residence hall’s ground floor required slender columns and a thin plinth construction to support the four residential floors above.
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Silman employed post-tensioned concrete framing to span the open floor plan and carry the residential tower above, with the depth of beams not exceeding 20 inches. The supporting concrete columns are spaced between 20 feet and 28 feet.
The lateral system of the building consists of concrete shear walls surrounding the elevator and stair cores.
