The Fred Pirkle Engineering Technology Center is a 54,000 square-foot state-of-the-art GATEWAY facility at Sam Houston State University with an emphasis on specialized instructional capabilities.
One challenge of this project was that the interior walls did not line up from floor to floor, so Structures implemented a braced-frame system which was placed in very specific locations, often inconsistent within an elevation.
An interesting and fun element that Structures added to the design was the monumental staircase. The entire frame is centered at one point of contact at the ground level. It was built to be supported by only one point and braced by the foundation and trusses on the roof.
Structures is proud of this robust building created for the students of Sam Houston State University that honors its namesake and provides state-of-the-art learning technology.
Location: Huntsville, TX
Size: 54,500 sf
Architect: The Lawrence Group
Contractor: Whiting-Turner
Lab Specialists: BSA LifeStructures
