Morgan State University Student Union
Job Facts
Tons of steel: 732 tons
Owner: Morgan State University
Architect: CSD — Cochran, Stephenson & Donkervoct
Engineer: Re Stl
Contractor: Hess Construction
Sub Contractor: B&B Welding Company, Inc.
Erector: LR Willson & Sons
732 tons of steel, 84 tons of joists and trusses, and one 44 inch deep beam shipped direct from Belgium — the new Morgan State University student center, bridge and parking garage presented B&B Welding with its largest structural steel job in the company’s history. Not only great tonnage, the job presented all parties — from the architect, engineer, detailer, contractor and erector — with great geometric complexity.
For starters, the oval-shaped auditorium featured a curved roof. B&B fabricated the structure’s tubular frame as well as the column and roof beams set to a complex radius. The bridge connecting the student union to the parking garage featured a glass curtain wall enclosed walkway with a sloping roofline. A serpentine amble in the student union passes a feature stain on the first floor while the second floor framing follows the same serpentine path as you move from north to south.
The main support for the student center included massive 44-inch beams — only available from a manufacturer in Belgium. B&B spliced the beams to create a 90-foot long span. Big, complex, and challenging — if ever there was a job that demanded high quality vendors, this would be it.
B&B Welding worked closely with L.R. Willson and Sons, an AISC certified erector. Together, we discovered numerous inconsistencies with the detailer’s model. We sent countless RFI’s to the architect. Meanwhile, asbestos abatement issues stalled construction. Next, glitches in the scheduling sequence — the building went from north to south — caused delays. And then improper leveling plate elevations blindsided the construction. Apparently, the general contractor failed to pass on a change in elevation to the parties involved. A change in base plate elevation was never shared. The stair builder, in particular, was affected as the initial columns were off some four inches in height.
The job quickly devolved into a series of challenges and setbacks. But for our B&B team, it quickly evolved into an opportunity to demonstrate our knack for flexibility and problem solving. In the face of great adversity, we stepped up and proved our mettle with numerous impromptu modifications. Our biggest obstacle: how to compensate for the misplaced anchor rods. Back at our shop, we brainstormed, and with the help of our CNC capabilities, were able to make adjustments to the clip angles and column holes for the required 4” bust.
“Even with the general contractor’s mistake with the anchor rod elevations, and with all the misfitting steel it caused, we were able to make on-the-fly adjustments,” says Dennis.
Throughout the job, B&B’s fabricated steel never once caused a delay. “The crane operator even complimented our work,” says Dennis. “He told me personally how everything fit, how all the complex angles and the field welding went in without a hitch.” L.R. Willson and Sons came away pleased with our work as well. Since then, they’ve subcontracted for us several times on jobs together.
“It’s a credit to our experience that we were able to find a solution to the unforeseen problems on this job,” says Dennis. “We really used our pumpkin heads as the old man used to say.”
Ultimately, what the old pumpkin head learned from this job back in 2003 was this: Not only can B&B take on the big jobs, we excel at them.
