Knoxville, Tennessee
Allen & Hoshall conducted a structural engineering assessment of Buehler Hall at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The assessment was completed in two phases, with the initial phase being a walk-through assessment with findings, followed by a second phase of potential repairs and an estimate of probable cost of said repairs. The assessment found significant cracks and water infiltration that were determined to be displacement-based issues in the building itself, not simply façade cracks of a typical nature. The design team utilized innovative techniques such as a 3D point-cloud from a Lidar-scan survey of the exterior facade of the building. The Lidar-scans were “stitched together” and converted to a 3D point cloud. This point cloud was uploaded into the Revit software, where the verticality of the façade surfaces could be mapped with contours to demonstrate the out-of-plane deflection of the façade. These contour maps of each exterior wall were superimposed on the original hand-drawn elevations to a known scale. The contour maps indicated what was visually seen in the distortions. With observations of the ongoing expansion joint issues between Dabny Hall and Buehler Hall, the assessment confirmed the findings that Buehler Hall was leaning on Dabney Hall. The site photos, contour maps, and 3D-photos from the Lidar-scan survey greatly enhanced the design team’s ability to analyze the building behavior and distortion. The report highlights key findings, potential causes, and recommendations for temporary repairs to maintain the stability of the building.
Awards:
♦ 2023 Engineering Excellence Honor Award – American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee
2023
