The new Emory University Health Sciences Research Building in Atlanta, Georgia, is a 200,000 sq ft facility with four stories above ground and one floor below grade. This building, which is the first phase of a new biomedical research precinct on the Emory University campus, will contain wet and dry research laboratories for a variety of fields.
The building was designed to connect to the existing Emory Children’s Center via an enclosed 10,250 sq ft, two-story bridge consisting of dry laboratory space and a pedestrian corridor on each floor. This 160-foot-long steel structure was designed to be supported by four columns on deep foundations, and Macalloy
tension rods supported the double-decker truss structure during the lift. Though the design was basic, the challenge was hoisting the 140-ton bridge in place with minimal closure of Haygood Drive, the active public street below.
Extensive planning and coordination began during the buyout period, over a year before the lift. During a four-week period prior to the scheduled lift, the bridge was constructed on the ground, parallel to the road it would span, atop temporary foundations. All rods were fully tensioned, a portion of the slab decking was installed, and the permanent columns were set in place. Third-party engineers were consulted to provide a detailed lifting schedule, and the team developed a thorough critical lift plan.
Haygood Drive was closed at 7 p.m. on Friday, while two cranes mobilized: a 550-ton tower crane and an 800-ton hydraulic crane, one of only three of its kind in the country. The lift began at sunrise Saturday morning. The bridge was lifted once to confirm that calculations were accurate; then it was hoisted, rotated, and set down temporarily for the 550-ton crane to reposition. The final lift put the bridge in place for the column splice connections.
Demobilization commenced on Sunday morning, and the road was reopened by 7 p.m., only 48 hours after the initial closure!
The Emory University Health Sciences Research Building project began in June 2011 and is anticipated to complete by April 2013.
Please watch the timelapse video below of this incredible bridge placement!
Emory Health Sciences Bridge Placement from Brasfield & Gorrie on Vimeo.
