Article: Wood framing tops Rocky Top on Quinnipiac Campus

By Donald Jaenicke

This article was originally published in the October 2010 edition of Structural Engineering and Design Magazine.

A historic past meets a colorful future at Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University as construction nears completion on the elegant 85,000 square foot octagon Rocky Top student center. The original Rocky Top lodge dates back to the last century. It is being replaced by the new student center, which is a showcase of glued laminated (glulam) timber. The architects, Centerbook Architects, specified exposed glulam framing to create warm aesthetics, showcase the golden-colored interior of this popular engineered wood, and to pay homage to the original Rocky Top lodge, which was a timber building.

Almost the entire primary building framing system (columns and beams) of Connecticut's Quinnipiac University Rocky Top student center is constructed from glulams. Una-Lam/ Phillip Holowacz Structural engineers designed all of the connections to be exposed, leveraging concealed knife plate connections when necessary. Una-Lam/ Phillip Holowacz

The new structure has a gross square footage just under 85,000 feet and capacity for 3,000 people. The octagon-shaped structure is 105 feet high from the top of the first floor slab to the top of the chimney structure. It has a point-to-point diameter of about 185 feet on levels one and two, and then tapers significantly moving up the next two levels. Unadilla Laminated Products (Una-lam), one of the nation’s historic wood laminators, was actively involved in producing and specifying the glulam framing, along with the structural engineers Gilsanz, Murray Stificek LLP. At the entry of the building, the walls in the foyer are wood paneling. A massive double staircase carries students and staff to the second floor. Constructed by O & G Industries, the structure houses a 500-seat dining hall, three-story fireplace, fitness center, computer room, and security. The new student center has stunning views of New Haven, Conn., and Long Island Sound.

Another accomplishment of the massive glulam structure is concealed connections and the incorporation of wood into almost every interior and exterior finish other than the floors. Almost the entire primary building framing system (columns and beams) is constructed from glulams with concealed knife plate connections. Glulams were also used for roof purlins and trusses as well as the elevated floor decks and laminated timber roof deck. Most of the structure and floor decking is exposed, and great care was taken to coordinate the location of ducts and electrical feeders so as not to take away from the warm aesthetics. The center ring of the primary structure has columns approximately 55 feet tall and 17-1/2 inches by 24 inches in dimension. Some trusses span more than 40 feet and the heaviest member weighs more than 16 tons.

The fact that the finish was completed once the timbers and mechanical systems were in place helped save construction time because no gypsum board was required at that point. The glued laminated timbers used for roof trusses and interior beams are stress-rated engineered wood products comprised of wood laminations bonded together with strong, waterproof adhesives. The individual “lams” or layers are typically 1-1/2 inches thick. Besides their attractive appearance, the timbers also eliminated the need for a dropped ceiling.

Early reports on the building indicate students and staff like the openness provided by the exposed timbers.