Our Work : Education : Higher Education
Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture
The Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture is a new facility on the campus of The Ohio State University that brings together the Schools of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and City and Regional Planning. The four-story, $32-million structure provides a modern, 168,000-square-foot facility containing classrooms, an auditorium, a 30,000-volume library, assembly spaces, faculty offices and studio spaces for more than 600 students and faculty who use the building on a daily basis. In order to provide the best solution for the architectural vision of this building, SMBH selected post-tensioned concrete. This system allowed for the thin structure, large column spacing, dramatic cantilevers and high live-load requirements and drastically reduced the quantities and the congestion of steel reinforcing bars that are prevalent in conventional concrete slabs. The use of exposed concrete as the finished product helped save hundreds of thousands of dollars in floor and ceiling finishes throughout the project. This project has won several awards including Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI) Winner Best in Class - Buildings and American Institute of Architects (AIA) Ohio Honor Award.
| Project Size: | | 168,000 square feet |
| Owner: | | The Ohio State University |
| Contractor: | | P.J. Dick |
| Architect of Record: | | WSA Studio |
| Design Architect: | | Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, Inc |
| Completion Date: | | 2004 |
| Total Project Value: | | $32 million |
