Griesenbeck Architectural Products, Inc. worked alongside Stantec and Vaughn Construction on a project at Prairie View A&M University.
On June 22, 2023, the Roy G. Perry College of Engineering celebrated the opening of its first new facility in sixteen years. The $70 million project known as the Engineering Classroom and Research Building – or “EnCARB” – increased classroom and specialized lab space by 106,000 square feet. The new structure adds research in space exploration, data analytics, artificial intelligence, robotics, structural analysis, 3-D manufacturing, and more to the college’s roster of facilities.
Griesenbeck wrote specifications to meet building safety requirements. The original design featured a three-story opening classified as a communicating space or atrium. To avoid the atrium requirements the vertical space could have been designed as a fully protected shaft enclosure. However, this would have required extensive use of fire-rated doors and solid-wall construction compromising the aesthetics of the space.
After careful review of code requirements, the team’s recommendation to Stantec included reclassifying the space from a 3-story atrium to a 2-story atrium plus one separated 3rd level during a fire emergency. This design change represented a valuable cost savings. The model building code does not require a smoke evacuation system in an atrium if the vertical space is limited to two floors only.
To separate the 2-story space from the remaining single story, Griesenbeck installed three McKEON Auto-Set® H200-G horizontal coiling fire shutters. Each of the shutters is almost 7′ wide. They range from 23′ to 32′ in length. Using deployable, horizontally oriented fire shutters that close only in case of fire allowed the design to be open yet code complying.
Because the code allows only 50% of required exit stairs to open into an atrium space, Griesenbeck installed nine Safescape® Model T2000-G vertical coiling fire doors with egress. These protect the three stairwells on levels one through three while allowing building occupants to exit safely via the stairs.
In its 75 years of operation, the college has earned a reputation for producing some of the nation’s top engineers and computer scientists. This addition will empower the current 1,100 students enrolled and will provide state-of-the-art technical spaces for decades of engineering Panthers to come.