FAU 600-bed Residence Hall

This Florida Atlantic University project consisted of a seven-story student housing building with an attached single-story restaurant and mechanical building. The single-story area was constructed with conventional load-bearing tilt-up walls and a bar joist roof. The high rise portion had cast-in-place interior columns and shearwalls and 9-in.-thick post-tensioned slabs.

The tilt-up walls of the high rise were constructed in 3 pieces two-stories, three-stories, and two-stories high, stacked atop each other and designed as cladding. These walls were supported by a continuous footing isolated from the building structure. They were attached to the post-tensioned slabs with a connection that allowed differential settling between the walls and the building. A vertically slotted insert was cast into the panels with a strap anchor connecting to embeds cast into the slabs. The majority of the residence building had punched window openings and multiple horizontal reveals.

This project achieved LEED Silver Certification, utilizing regional materials with a value of $404,000 and recycled materials with a value of $203,000. The means and methods along with thoughtful scheduling and planning allowed the building to be constructed in record time to house 600 students.