Featuring hybrid construction, The Wheatley Center at Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pa., was completed in August 2012. The center was a one-story U-shaped building that housed the campus services department and most recently served as a faculty office building. The building is now three stories and houses the School of Communication and Information Systems. It has a first-floor atrium, café and public art gallery.
The 53,000-square-foot pre-engineered structure from Presidential Steel Buildings, Ambridge, Pa., was integrated above the new 17-foot-tall conventional structural steel first floor. The metal building utilized steel frame I-beam construction, and all secondary framing, including purlins, girts and base angles, featured galvanized finish for extra corrosion protection. A Presidential Zeus Shield 24-gauge standing seam roof with 6 inches of insulation and 5/8-inch thermal spacers was installed. To increase natural lighting, 12 Velux FCM skylights from Velux America Inc., Greenwood, S.C., were added, plus multiple roof curbs from LM Curbs, Longview, Texas. The structure was designed by Ross Bianco Architects, Pittsburgh, and the general contractor was Landau Building Co., Pittsburgh.
LM Curbs, www.lmcurbs.com
Presidential Steel Buildings, www.presidentialsteelbuildings.com,
Velux America Inc., www.veluxusa.com
