PULLMAN, Wash. – Construction on the Paccar Environmental Technology Building at Washington State University will continue through winter to keep the project on schedule for completion in October, according to contractor Skanska USA.
Once complete, the 96,000-square-foot interdisciplinary clean technology laboratory will provide research facilities for faculty and students in interdisciplinary fields including composite materials, renewable energy, and air- and water-quality research. The building will also house common spaces, specialized core laboratories, offices and conference areas.
Preparation for winter work includes completing and waterproofing the exterior frame and taking extensive temporary measures to contain heat. Construction on exterior elements including brick, metal panels and glass will continue in the cold weather.
In early November, crews completed the reaction floor and reaction wall. These have 360 anchors embedded in 30-inch slabs to which structures (like beams, columns, etc.) are attached while they undergo stress tests.
Each anchor is capable of handling 75,000 pounds per square inch (an extreme amount of force) in any direction. Anchors allow researchers to apply enough force to bend and break massive composite materials structures during testing without compromising the building itself.
The Skanska team is continuing construction of pre-fabricated elements including mechanical racks.
Learn more as the project continues at the Going Up! blog at http://cleantech.wsu.edu/going-up-blog/