ADTEK Engineers Receives CFSEI Award for Metal Framing at Florida’s Atlantic Crossings

Project profile provided courtesy of CFSEI. All photos courtesy of ADTEK Engineers, Inc.

Atlantic Crossings Building III is part of a six-building redevelopment project being completed in two sequences. Building III is part of the first sequence. The six buildings will have 261 high-quality apartments, 82 luxury condos, office space, shops and restaurants.

Dana Hennis (left), P.E., S.E., CFSEI vice chair, presents the CFSEI Award to Andrew Newland of ADTEK Engineers.

ADTEK Engineers, Inc., a Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) member, received a third place 2023 CFSEI Design Excellence Award, residential/hospitality category, from the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) for its cold-formed steel (CFS) framing designs used on the project.

Andrew Newland, a specialty engineer at ADTEK, submitted the entry to the CFSEI awards competition. ADTEK, a CFSEI member, received the award at the 2023 CFSEI Expo held recently in New Orleans. The engineering company’s CFS framing designs were critical to meeting the aesthetic and structural challenges of Atlantic Crossings Building III. 

ADTEK Engineers gave special attention to openings at Atlantic Crossings Building III.

CFS Supports Timber Floor and Roof Trusses

The Atlantic Crossings redevelopment is described on the project website as “a green and walkable destination.”  

“It’s a natural extension of downtown Delray’s authentic and eclectic charm, gracefully weaving together generous public spaces, lively streetscapes and distinctive design to bring two city blocks to life,” the website says further.

Building III features one story of non-load bearing CFS wall framing supported by the concrete foundation and post-tensioned concrete podium slab at the second level. Levels 2-5 of Building III are constructed with interior and exterior load-bearing CFS wall framing that supports timber floor trusses at Levels 3-5, timber roof trusses and X-braced CFS walls as the lateral system. Building III has retail units on Level 1 with residential units on upper floors.

Aesthetic and Structural Challenges

ADTEK worked on the aesthetic and structural challenges during the design and construction phases of the project.

ADTEK specified Simpson Strong-Tie SHH (Steel Header Hanger) clips to eliminate the need for jack studs in short openings.

The first level of Atlantic Crossings Building III boasts curved openings, wing walls, unique exterior soffit features and difficult attachments to post-tensioned concrete. ADTEK worked with the specialty contractor to ensure adequate connections to post-tensioned concrete where soffit framing had significant cantilevers off of the post-tensioned slab. 

Segmented framing was used to create curved openings. At wingwalls, beams were designed to connect rigidly to typical wall framing to ensure adequate support.

High Level Coordination Required

Upper-level framing consisted of 6″ exterior and 4″ and 6″ interior load bearing framing. Coordination with the timber truss manufacturer was critical during design and construction. 

Coordination was also critical for the green wall support. Design changes to the green wall were made after a substantial amount of the framing had been completed. 

Remediation was required to reinforce the load-bearing framing with CFS posts for the additional lateral load imparted on the framing due to eccentric loading of the green wall. Studs were doubled up at the green wall support to accommodate additional loading and meet connection requirements.

Openings Designed for Worst Case Scenarios

Building III also boasts a unique double wing-wall feature that is curved up the side of the building. This feature required some unique detailing to indicate the curve as it terminates up the building while connecting to the load bearing framing.

ADTEK had to account for several different types of openings at Atlantic Crossings Building III.

Openings also presented numerous challenges for this project. Several openings were offset from floor to floor. Applying jamb/jack loads to headers below created unfeasible header designs. To mitigate this, openings were designed to span the worst-case width and non-load bearing framing was installed to build-out openings below longer headers. This eliminated the need for HSS headers within the load bearing CFS wall framing. 

Special Clips Eliminate Jack Studs

Another design issue involved the load-bearing openings at some locations, where it was not feasible to install multiple jamb studs and a jack stud. Fortunately, SHH (Steel Header Hanger) clips from SFIA member Simpson Strong-Tie eliminated the need for jack studs in shorter openings. These clips were also used throughout the project to eliminate the need for jack studs.

Temporary openings were also requested in the load bearing framing. This request came during construction to accommodate the trash chute and lift. The trash chute was later infilled with non-load bearing wall framing and the lift was infilled with two non-load bearing openings.

The lateral resisting system utilized X-braced CFS-framed walls in addition to masonry shear walls at stairs and elevators.

Lateral resisting systems used X-braced cold-formed steel (CFS) walls in addition to masonry shear walls at Atlantic Crossings Building III.

Atlantic Crossing Building III uses CFS framing in a number of different ways to achieve the desired aesthetic. From support of the green wall, unique soffit features, non-load bearing and load bearing framing and various opening conditions, the versatility of CFS framing, as well as proprietary CFS clips and their ability to work well with other construction methods, ensured the success of the project.

Read more about ADTEK’s 2023 CFSEI Design Excellence – Residential/Hospitality award and see more shop drawings and images here.

Additional Resources

• 4 Ways Building Codes and their Referenced Standards Affect Cold-Formed Steel Framing
• The Steel Framing Industry Reports Big Gains During the Pandemic
• CFSEI Announces Winners of 2022 Design Excellence and Creative Detail Awards