PULLMAN, Wash. – The visitor center has earned one of the 2014 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards from the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) for innovative design, engineering achievement and creativity
The Brelsford Washington State University Visitor Center project was submitted by Amie Sullivan, associate for KPFF Consulting Engineers, who worked on the project.
NCSEA advances the practice of structural engineering and protects the public’s right to safe, sustainable and cost-effective buildings, bridges and other structures. The awards highlight some of the best examples of structural engineering ingenuity throughout the world.
Some of the distinctive structural design solutions used to create the visitor center include: discrete weld splices that piece together the 40-foot-tall illuminated outdoor tower, lift brackets and erection assemblies that support the 15-foot-high concrete letters spelling W-S-U, and the cross-laminated timber roof – which also serves as the interior ceiling and exterior eaves.
The visitor center is one of the first commercial applications of cross-laminated timber in the county.
The outstanding project award will be announced during the awards presentation ceremony on Sept.19 in New Orleans.
Contact:
Amberly M. Boone, Brelsford WSU Visitor Center, 509-335-008, amberly.boone@wsu.edu