Title:

Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology Retrofit

The Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology was constructed and opened in 1859. Recently, Harvard has become concerned with the structural integrity of several fifth-floor rooms and their ability to support additional loading. These rooms are used by the museum to house specimens and exhibits. The rooms are supported by timber girders hung from attic trusses, brick arches, and wrought-iron beams supported on cast iron-columns. The goal of this project was to determine the load capacity of the areas of interest and determine if the existing structure is able to support current and additional loading. If a retrofit was necessary for these rooms, the project team prepared a retrofit scheme that safely supported the required live loads. Retrofit schemes were determined based on feasibility and calculated capacities. Out of the eight areas investigated, five of the key structural elements required a retrofit.

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