Design Team Overcame Technical Challenges at Clemson’s Advanced Testing Facility Gabriella Jacobs South Carolina Construction News Thomas Lorentz, PE, senior vice president of AEC Engi- neering/IDOM in Minneapolis, said this project, despite some challenges, “will be counted as a huge success for many reasons.” “The project has been completed on a kind of fast-track delivery, with a few components of detail design com- pleted just ahead of construction,” he said. “Because the design of the facility is so dependent on the specialized equipment, it was crucial for the AEC IDOM team to have an excellent grasp of the function and mechanics of the turbine testing equipment in order to anticipate the facility requirements while the equipment was still being de- signed. This was a challenge.” “The fact that we had that expertise was a large bene- fit,” Lorentz said. “There are significant technical chal- lenges that are inherent in the design of this type of advanced testing facility. The unique stiffness and vibration tolerances for the test bay foundations, the specialized structural supports designed for fatigue service, and the mechanical and electrical systems all require substantial AEC ENGINEERING an IDOM group company 15 South 5 th Street Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55402 USA TEL: 612.332.8905 FAX: 612.334.3101 www.aecengineering.com www.idom.com AREAS OF EXPERTISE: - Structural engineering - Advanced analysis and design - Mechanical engineering - Electrical engineering - Construction inspection - Mechanical integrity & process safety - Forensic engineering 6 – October/November 2013 — The South Carolina Construction News engineering effort.” “The design of the Clemson University facility posed ad- ditional technical challenges in retrofitting an existing warehouse structure to accommodate these large sys- tems, and then upgrading it all to current building code seismic standards. The entire project team (owner, con- struction manager, contractors, engineers) all collaborated together to make this a success.” “The Clemson facility will be a world-class installation for many years, with a unique capacity for testing the next generation of wind turbine drive trains and electrical equip- ment,” Lorentz said. “There is no doubt that it will have an influence on the small handful of comparable future facili- ties which may be considered anywhere in the world, just as this facility was influenced by IDOM’s experience with similar facilities we previously designed in Europe,” he said. “While there are always site-specific differences be- tween projects, for our part, we work collaboratively and ethically to continue to advance the state of the art.” Lorentz said AEC/DOM is very proud to have been a part of the Clemson team. He added, “North Charleston is home to a truly unique installation.” PARKER MARINE CONTRACTING CORP. PILE DRIVING MARINE CONTRACTORS Congratulations to Choate Construction We are Proud to be Part of Your Team John T. Parker, JR., Vice President Ph: (843) 853-7615 Fax: (843) 853-6263 Cell (843) 693-3743 P.O. Box 30651 Charleston, SC 294417 johnp@parkermarine.net