College of the Atlantic, Student Housing

overview

In response to growing housing demands, the College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor added a 50-person residence hall on the south end of campus. The three-story, 12,000-square-foot, mass timber-framed building was designed to achieve net-zero energy usage and meet Passive House standards.

We provided structural design services to OPAL Architecture for the residence hall, which includes both double- and single-occupancy rooms and a multi-stationed kitchen area and community space on each floor.

highlights

• Our scope included the structural analysis and design of cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor panels, glued laminated timber beams and columns, and reinforced seated beam-to-column bearing connections, which reduced the cost of connection hardware and erection time while providing an elegant framing solution. Proprietary connection hardware was used in limited locations.
• The timber elements were designed to be exposed in all public and private spaces and detailed with hidden fire-protected connections.  
• The lateral force resistance system includes CLT shear walls, which achieve the functional objective as well as the architect’s aesthetic intent.
• Located on a hurricane ocean line, the structure is designed for exposure-D wind loads.