Stevens Student Housing and University Center Third Floor Pedestrian Bridge

Stevens Institute of Technology is building-up its most ambitious infrastructure project to date. An extensive three-story university center building with two residential towers is being added to the Hoboken, NJ hilltop campus. Construction of The Student Housing and University Center is set to redefine the school’s community and culture. The development’s two new residential towers, one 16 stories and the other 18 stories, will provide much-needed campus housing for nearly 1,000 students once complete.

The towers’ locations and design will help showcase Stevens’ signature views of the Hudson River and New York City. Additionally, the building will incorporate Steven’s emphasis on sustainable design and construction. It is intended to be a LEED Silver Project.

McLaren’s Construction Engineering team is working on the steel connection design and erection means and methods for the two-truss bridge which will connect the residential towers. This glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge will span over the courtyard below and connect the buildings via the third floor. We are also providing peer review and inspection services for all the construction hoists on site to ensure they comply with local building codes and OSHA standards.

Stevens Third Floor Pedestrian Bridge

Our team had to overcome unique challenges when erecting the pedestrian bridge’s steel trusses. First, we were unable to use shoring towers, because at the time of erection the plaza area underneath was not suitable to temporarily support the truss chords as it was being erected and installed. Instead, we installed the top chords first. Then we installed the remaining members in a particular sequence. This method applied relatively high loading to the top chords due to the self-weight of the braces and bottom chords being hung below.

Secondly, this unique erection method needed to be approved by the engineer of record (EOR). To do so, we needed to show that the stresses applied and locked into the top chords during erection would not make the members inadequate for the final design loading upon completion of the bridge.  In order to accurately predict the structure behavior, McLaren performed a staged construction analysis in SAP2000 to analyze the structure during each stage of erection.  Doing this, we were able to present to the EOR the loads and stresses on the framing during each step of the erection process and provide documentation as to how this was achievable.

Despite this erection method not being preferred by the EOR at the beginning of our scope, our team’s means and methods submission was approved in the first pass. This is thanks to the creative engineering and high-quality calculation package put together by the team. McLaren was able to show that the permanent structure, specifically the top chords, were sufficient for both the loads imposed on the framing during erection and in its permanent state.

In-Depth View

This video below showcases a rendering of how the Student Housing and University Center are connected, highlighting the views offered by the third-floor pedestrian bridge.

The Past

McLaren has been part of Stevens Institute of Technology mission to inspire, nurture and educate since 2000. Learn more about our construction of the Lawrence T. Babbio, Jr. Center for Technology Management.