ESPN Child Care Center

Project Team

Structural Engineer: The S/L/A/M Collaborative, Inc.
Owner: ESPN
Architect: The S/L/A/M Collaborative, Inc.
General Contractor: The Associated Construction Company
Steel Joist Manufacturer: Vulcraft
Steel Detailer: Atlantic Steel Detailing Services, LLC
Steel Fabricator: United Steel, Inc.
Steel Erector: United Steel, Inc.

Project Type: Unique Application

Project Description

The new 50,000-SF ESPN Child Care Center is a child–focused day care facility for children of employees at the Disney-owned national sports broadcast corporation. The building achieves a minimum LEED Silver Certification with strategies including use of  local, natural materials, appropriate building orientation, and lots of day lighting and views. The exterior design references nearby ESPN campus buildings, with a simple clarity and color palette appropriate for children. The facility is divided into 3 “family  units” of mixed age groupings, all adjacent to a large multipurpose room with clear way finding and “identity” for each division. Sustainable features include construction processes that consume 27% less energy use than conventional methods; solar collectors  to provide 100% of the building’s hot water; and bio-filtration and bio-retention for stormwater management.

What Makes This Project Interesting

The ESPN Child Care Center provided interesting loading conditions to consider in the design and detailing of the joists and the roof structure. Due to the high seismic loads, the joist designs had to incorporate the detailing of the roof diaphragm, including  the struts and chords. Additionally, High gravity loading was expected from the roof mounted solar energy systems. These are proprietary systems and the design loads were not available during the bid process. Coordination of these loads had to occur during  the joist engineering process between the owner, the contractor, the joist manufacturer and the structural engineer. Basketball hoops and other athletic equipment are hung below the joists. Loading and additional bracing had to be included to address the gravity  and dynamic impact loading.
 

Advantages Of The Chosen Structural System

Steel joists provided opportunities to reduce total steel weight, to add more space above to open up interior spaces and to efficiently provide the barrel shaped roofs that are the focal point of the building. Joist seat extensions allowed for long roof  overhangs with a shallow profile integrated into the barrel joists. This eliminated the need for extensive field welding of cantilevered wide flange beams and outriggers. Long span joists over the gymnasium were easily customizable to support the roof dunnage  above and the additional loading from roof mounted solar collectors and solar/electric PV panels.
 
 

Project Scope

The new ESPN Child Care Center includes 64DLH special steel joists spanning 100 feet over the gymnasium. Also, 28LH special steel joists built from rolled angles to form three barrel shaped roofs spanning 38 feet with an overall length of 46 feet including  joist seat extensions for the roof overhang. The supporting structure consists of HSS square columns, and HSS or Wide Flange beams. This structure stands in a high seismic region.

Project Details

Project Construction Cost: $16.8 Million
Joist cost, including fabrication and erection: $220,000 
Size (square ft.): 48,390
Roof area using joists (square ft.): 32,372
Joist area (square ft.): 32,372
Joist erection (# days): 15

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