AEI STUDENT COMPETITION STRUCTURAL- I

ABSTRACT

BUBBLEDECK SLAB SYSTEMS

The slab structure of 888 Boylston adopts the highly innovative solution of Bubbledeck slab. The bubbledeck slab replaces
the concrete between the tension and compression regions in the
non-critic areas with high density polyethleyene hollow bubbles. Usage of these bubbles leads to decrase in concrete volume in the slab,
cost, and carbon dioxide emmision during the cement production
process.
With the help of Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis software,
the regions that have to be considered as solid concrete slab were determined. All the bubbles were placed according to the specifications
provided by Bubbledeck company. The structure of the bubbledeck
allowed us to integrate MEP systems into the slab structure without
increasing the floor-to-floor height.

in % of a
solid deck

Strength
Bending
Stiffness
Volume
of
Concrete

Bubbledeck vs. solid deck

Same
strength

Same
bending
stiffness

Same
concrete
volume

100

105

150

87

100

300

66

69

This project is based on the 2016 Architectural Engineering Institute Student Design Competition.
The proposal is a new structural design for the building that is being constructed on 888 Boylston
Street, Boston. With the help of software tools and various design methods, the team worked
on designing the architectural, structural, and integrated systems of a LEED certified building
with a near net zero output of energy, emission, water, and waste. The project addresses the
engineering challenges involved in highrise building design, specifically through the use of a
concrete slab structure called Bubbledeck, as well as construction planning, energy efficiency,
adaptability, and resiliency.

SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
Renewable
Energy Type

Model

Energy Production
kWh/ month

WIND

UGE-9M

127,461

SOLAR

E-SERIES

64,234

100

- Solar panels
- Wind turbines
- Anaerobic digesters
- High efficiency water fixtures
- LED light fixtures
- Community gardens
- Bike sharing

YEARLY WATER USAGE

OBJECTIVES:

- Achieve a structural design that successfully integrates the structural, mechanical, and electrical
elements with the architectural systems in order to create an integrated design.

BASELINE

- Select design and construction methods that minimize the disturbances to neighboring buildings and the Massachusetts Turnpike.

DESIGN

888 Boylston Street adopts

many sustainable features that
help lowering the energy usage
and waste production.

- Design every aspect of the building sustainably.

GALLONS/YEAR

- Design all aspects of the building, including the building envelope, to contribute to an overall
building energy usage that is at least 50% below ASHRAE requirements.

FACADE DESIGN

4
Typical Office Floor Bubbledeck Layout

Design Considerations:

Typical Bubbledeck Section

- Modular

- Applicable for high-rise building

- Efficient installation

The team selected a unitized curtain wall system and designed the connection to the Bubbledeck slab.

Bubbledeck Slab Section View

1,566,136 ft3 of concrete
96.79 ft3 reduction in CO2 emissions
$4,640,403 saved in slab structures

Typical Building Envelope Section

CONCRETE CORE WALL

A

Reinforcement Design for the Shear Wall

Shear Wall Footprint

12-inch reinforced concrete shear wall

Used ACI-318 Code

As a result of the limitations evoked by the neighboring buildings, a drilled shaft foundation system was selected
to support the building. Other methods of installation have
greater potential to cause large vibrations in the ground and
could have damaged the foundations of the surrounding buildings or the portion of the I-90 tunnel that runs underneath the
building. A total of 40 drilled shafts are required to support
the loads of the building. 80% of which have a 6 diameter
while the other 20% have an 8 diameter as determined by
the loading demands. The total shaft capacity is based on the
following equations using data from the geotechnical report.

Facade Panel Types

The facade of the building has three diferent

panel designs, altering due to their function.
A: Panels with deattachable shadow boxes.

40% of the building is covered with shad

ow panels with R value of 50 in order to

meet with the energy savings criteria

decided by the team.
B: Panels with shading devices:

The panels that do not have an attached

shadow box includes a shading device

that is controlled by the daylight factor.
C: Air intake panels:

On each floor, two panels are switched

with air intake grillls as fresh air supplier.

RESILIENCY

DRIVEN PILE FOUNDATION

1

Total Capacity=Bearing Capacity+Skin Friction Capacity

Bearing Capacity=Area of Shaft*End Bearing
Skin Friction Capacity=Shaft Circumference*Total Bearing
Depth*Skin Friction

FloodWall Section View

888 BOYLSTON
End bearing 5ft into
100ksf
competent bedrock*
*Cannot exceed
50% design capacity
Depth in
5 ft
competent Bedrock

Skin friction in weathered

14.4 ksf
and competent bedrock**
**5 in bedrock+assumed
depth in weathered bedrock
Assumed depth in
2.5 ft
competent bedrock

Due to the high risk of flooding in the Boston area, measures had to be taken to prevent water from damaging any
critical systems or merchandise in the building. The FloodBreak floodgate is a passive flood protection system installed
around the exposed perimeter of 888 Boylston Street that can hold back up to 3ft. of water. The floodgate is normally flush
with the surrounding walkways but will automatically rise up to 90 based on the amount of water it detects. The system
does not require any power or human interaction to work, making it ideal for improving the resiliency of our building.
However, if water does manage to reach our building, all of the critical electrical and mechanical components havebeen moved from the underground garage to a new floor five stories above ground. The reduced floor-to floor height produced by the Bubbledeck system, allowed us to add in this additional floor without increasing the overall height of the building.

Caroline Bartlett & Andrea Goldstein & Ali Yalaz

Advisors: Leonard D. Albano & Leffi E. Cewe-Malloy