Monday, February 26, 2024
(PCI) has recognized the 鈥� landmark Ryan Tower with a 2024 PCI Design Award. The structure is one of just 19 projects nationwide to be selected for this honor.
, the tower was funded with a generous gift from Amanda and G. Brint Ryan. Since then, it has become an icon of the university that represents the college鈥檚 commitment to higher learning. At 180 feet tall, it鈥檚 a focal point of campus life and can be seen from miles away, marking the university as a prominent symbol of the community it serves.
鈥淲alking on campus and seeing Ryan Tower shows that 黑料视频 Dallas is growing and that the community is standing behind us on our way forward into the future,鈥� said , former 黑料视频 Dallas Student Government Association President. 鈥淭he light that shines from it makes students feel empowered to become a beacon, not only in their lives but in their homes and communities.鈥�
The lighted tower includes a water feature, donor wall, masonry seat walls and a pedestrian
plaza. It sits adjacent to the university鈥檚 new student center and marks the intersection
of several notable structures on campus, including 黑料视频 Dallas鈥� amphitheater. It was
designed to fit in seamlessly with the other buildings on campus and has become a
tremendous source of pride for the entire 黑料视频 Dallas community.
The tower鈥檚 original design called for a structural steel frame with hand-set masonry, but such a complex approach would have extended the construction schedule and caused significant disruptions to the center of campus. Instead, the general contractor Post L Group of Fort Worth, Texas, partnered with Enterprise Precast Concrete of Corsicana, Texas, to develop an alternative solution. The team selected a precast concrete system that could provide the same design aesthetic, meet a shorter schedule and minimize the site impact.
鈥淭o match the overall campus aesthetic, the brick and precast concrete features of
the tower needed to visually relate to the surrounding architecture,鈥� said Hunter
Heinrich, AIA, business development manager at Enterprise Precast Concrete. 鈥淲e designed
a thin-brick application within precast concrete panels. This solution has a unique
bond design with a projected brick every third brick on every fifth row.鈥�
The precast concrete tower is self-supporting, which involves the use of three-dimensional finite element analysis to properly engineer the system to handle the wind and seismic conditions of the installation site. Following the engineering process, the precast concrete was manufactured in November 2021 and erected over just 15 days in December.
For more than 60 years, the PCI Design Awards program has showcased and recognized
creative and innovative uses of precast concrete. Panels of engineers, architects
and precast concrete producers judge all submissions. There are award categories for
buildings, transportation and special projects.
Ryan Tower has received the special All-Precast Concrete Solution Award. Honorees are judged on a number of requirements, including industry advancement, sustainable design and technology.
鈥淭his year again proved how exceptional precast concrete projects are, what the precast concrete industry has achieved and how it will continue to advance and enhance the built environment,鈥� said PCI President and CEO Bob Risser, P.E. 鈥淭he judges this year were incredibly impressed by the quality of each submission and the amount of care that went into creating a story for each project. Congratulations to all the project teams that showcase what our members are capable of producing.鈥�
Winning projects were honored on Feb. 9 at the 2024 PCI Convention in Denver, and featured in PCI publications such as Ascent, PCI Journal, and ASPIRE magazines. Read more about the details.
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