As Hunter Buildings celebrates our 22nd year in business, we are proud to be considered a global leader in our industry.
Over the years, Hunter has expanded the limits of what can be accomplished in blast-resistant module (BRM) design by finding ways to say "yes" to customer requests and providing solutions to their safety, space, functionality and engineering challenges. Modular solutions provide customers with an expedited solution to their projects without the difficulties presented in on-site construction. Incorporating a blast component into a modular design can be extremely complex, as all the blast pressures must be accounted for and overcome.
In September 2020, Monument Chemical selected Hunter to provide a blast-resistant motor control center (MCC) building for its Houston site. The Monument Chemical engineers requested a modular solution with a high-blast component. This required the building to be placed on and anchored to an existing slab and a concrete floor needed to be added to the building to accommodate the electrical equipment.
Hunter consulted with Thornton Thomasetti on the design to ensure that the structure could withstand both lifting and setting as well as maintain the blast integrity without the reinforced flooring, which is typical of a BRM. The blast-resistant modular units of the MCC building were designed with removable floor joists, floor beams and posts, which provided the bracing required during lifting and installation. All temporary bracing members, including posts and floor members, had bolted connections in order to avoid the hot work on-site during the removal of these members.
After the installation of the units, post-installed anchor bolts were provided at the building perimeter to secure the units before pouring the interior slab. A reinforced concrete slab was then poured inside the units to achieve a robust lateral load transfer of blast forces from the BRM perimeter into the foundation system. To achieve the bending moment and shear load transfer to the interior floor slab, uniformly spaced reinforcing bars with end plates were welded onto the floor perimeter beams of the units at the Hunter plant. A rigid floor diaphragm was provided by means of this interior slab, which uniformly transferred the blast reactions from the wall into the foundation below. Finally, in order to achieve the shear load transfer at the interface of the poured slab and the foundation, uniformly spaced vertical dowels were also provided at the top of the foundation.
When the project was designed and executed, Hunter was able to provide a cost-effective solution that fulfilled all of the client's requirements.
"The integration of Hunter Buildings and Hunter Site Services ensured that the MCC building is a quality product, delivered on time and with no issues," said Trent Weiss of Siege Engineering. "It met Monument's needs and performs as specified."
Very shortly after the MCC building was complete, Monument embarked on a new project. As the lab building involved would be a critical path item, Weiss understood it was a challenging schedule coupled with a complicated design. Based on Hunter's previous success, we were selected to provide both the building and the site work.
"Hunter and the Siege and Monument teams came to a consensus on the initial design, and Hunter was able to a provide a specific layout arrangement that allowed for two different uses to be accommodated in the building," Weiss said. "They met the needs of the client very effectively. Both the R&D and analytical groups have customized, functional working spaces. The major challenge for Monument was the amount of power the building would require. Hunter identified those needs very early on, which allowed Siege and Monument to plan and run adequate power to the site. Hunter communicated very well with all groups involved throughout the process and helped resolve some design and schedule issues related to the lab equipment."
Hunter is grateful for the confidence and trust our customers place in us. We look forward to the future and new design challenges that will arise as the market continues to reimagine the functionalities and processes that can be contained in a BRM.
For more information, visit www.hunterbuildings.com or call (281) 452-9800.
