BREAKING GROUND FOR A GROWING CAMPUS

As Villanova University students return to campus for the fall semester, exciting new features await them. 

Dave Brandt, President of AEC, Inc., has been proud to provide engineering at Villanova University for more than two decades, and the AEC team has completed numerous projects on campus this summer, including The Refectory. This new and first of its kind on-campus restaurant is a partnership between Villanova University and Zavino Hospitality Group. AEC designed the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems for this new dining facility, expected to open this fall. 

The Refectory, which will be open to students, faculty, visitors and neighbors, offers a menu of elevated American classics in a tastefully appointed and relaxed setting featuring: 

- 18-seat horseshoe bar with marble counter tops and comfortable captain’s chairs

- Dining room seating for approximately 200

- Vault room for private parties and chef tastings

- Parliament Espresso & Coffee Bar, adjacent to the restaurant.

Conveniently situated at the corner of Lancaster Avenue & Ithan Avenue, The Refectory is nestled within The Commons, the newest cluster of residence halls on the campus. The prime location provides easy access to Villanova’s sports facilities, public transportation and many university functions within walking distance.

In addition to The Refectory, AEC also recently completed the following projects at Villanova:

- Dougherty Hall Kitchen Renovation

- Phase 4 Main Campus Update

- The Trading Room in Bartley Hall

- Advancement / Major Gifts Department

May 2019  

Streamlining Systems In A Busy Urban High Rise 

Associated Engineering Consultants, Inc. has been providing full-service engineering for decades throughout the mid-Atlantic region.  This newsletter is the third in a series of Structural Engineering Case Studies featuring unusual building challenges solved through AEC's innovative engineering design.

CHALLENGE

The original office building, located in the Center City Philadelphia business district, was designed with the entire elevator system starting on the mezzanine level to accommodate a grocery store at the street level. A series of escalators were used to access the elevators, which created vertical log jams for tenants and visitors during peak office hours.

SOLUTION

Dave Brandt took on the engineering challenge to lower all the elevators to the basement level in phases, to avoid disruption to building operations during normal business hours. The building structure is waffle flat plate concrete, which made this task even more challenging. The center four bays, which in turn affected all of the bays around them, had to be cut out. This was accomplished in phases, while each adjacent bay was temporarily shored. Mr. Brandt designed the new elevator wall out of poured concrete as vertical beams with top torsion due to adjacent bay loading. Also affecting the design was the horizontal wind shear from the 34-story building above.  The phased construction took just over six months and was completed on schedule.

September 2018 

Falls Center was originally known as Women’s Medical College when it opened its doors in 1929. Located at 3300 Henry Avenue in Philadelphia, the building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

AEC, Inc. teamed with Wulff Architects to gut and fit-out a 20,000 square foot space, creating a new long-term nursing and ventilator-dependent care unit. The new space features

60 patient rooms, staff stations, administrative offices,   activities areas, a classroom and dining area. 

New mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems were designed, including new high-efficiency water source heat pumps connected to a central plant. The engineering design included a 3,000 gallon bulk oxygen system which is piped into the space. Each heat pump serves multiple rooms  All new electrical power and low voltage systems, including nurse’s call, security, telephone and data were installed. New central domestic hot water heating was also added.

August 2018  

Associated Engineering Consultants, Inc. has been providing full-service engineering for decades throughout the mid-Atlantic region on a vast range of projects.

This is the second in a series of structural engineering case studies featuring unusual challenges solved through innovative engineering design.

THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL CANCER CENTER was completed in 1988, yet the site challenges and engineering solutions are timeless.

CHALLENGE

The growing health care system required a new three-story cancer treatment center within the confines of the existing hospital foot print. The new center had to be constructed on-grade and below the existing slab-on-grade ground floor along Sansom Street at TJUH’s main campus in Center City Philadelphia. Dave Brandt was hired by the architect, MPB, to design a structural engineering solution, while avoiding interruption to regular hospital functions and schedules.

SOLUTION

The new ground floor superstructure was designed as a two-way concrete plate with steel beams between the existing steel columns resting on caisson foundations. This steel was also used as temporary bracing during the excavation. The middle level floor system was designed as a two-way flat slab, hinged at the supports on the existing caissons. 

The sub-basement level was also designed as a hinged two-way flat slab however, due to hydrostatic pressure, it was designed for uplift. All of the existing 90’ long caissons were cut down in diameter to increase the usable square footage. 

The excavation for the new construction and shoring of Sansom Street, situated in a busy urban site with heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic, took 13 months to achieve. The bottoms of the rotating procedure table pits were below sea level, creating another design challenge, since the mechanical operating devices shut down on high-humidity alarm.

Mr. Brandt also designed the treatment cells out of 3-4’ thick high-density concrete. The aggregate was mined in Canada and shipped to a batch plant near the project site to achieve the proper density.

The entire construction took two years and, during that time, all operating room tables above the construction were monitored for vibration. Interruption to surgery schedules was avoided throughout construction, minimizing inconvenience to staff and patients.  

July 2018

Associated Engineering Consultants, Inc. has been providing full-service engineering for more  

than two decades on a vast range of projects. 

Our structural engineering expertise serves as the backbone for many of our projects, especially 

those with unique requirements and challenges.  The team managers have been working  

together for more than 25 years, led by Dave Brandt as Engineer of Record, and supported by  

Bob Lang, Structural Department Manager.  Together, they offer an extensive background in  

concrete, reinforced masonry, steel and wood structures.    

Below is the first in a series of structural case studies, highlighting complex structural challenges 

and the innovative solutions developed and implemented by the AEC Structural Department: 

THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL   /   MRI   

Challenge 

Dave Brandt, AEC’s President & CEO, engineered the first MRI built in the United States, east  

of the Mississippi River, for TJUH.  The project encompassed three floors of an existing 12-story 

steel-framed hospital building.  The floors were temporarily shored, then gutted and replaced  

with SS reinforced concrete, while the exterior façade was shored and remained in place.  The  

unshielded MRI was located on the 10th floor and operated with a 27,000 LB magnet.  When  

turned off, the weight was supported by the 9th floor but, when in use, the weight was  

transferred to the 10th floor from the magnetic fields and steel plate resistance.  

Solution 

Dave Brandt worked with Oxford University in England, to develop steel plate building shields so 

the magnet would not affect operations in an existing building across the street.  The work was  

successfully accomplished while the floors below and above remained occupied and fully  

operational. 

Let us know if you have a challenging structural issue – we would be glad to discuss solutions!