McClure Wins 2024 CFSEI Award for Design of Curvy Angelo Caputo’s Entryway

Featured image: The steel framing design by McClure for Angelo Caputo’s in Norridge, Illinois. Project profile courtesy of CFSEI. Photos courtesy of McClure, except where noted.

McClure designed the cold-formed steel (CFS) prefabricated panels at the entryway of Angelo Caputo’s in Norridge, Illinois. The firm focused on CFS doubly curved panels, spanning between structural steel with a compound mitered connection to the structural steel.

The project showcases McClure’s expertise in innovative engineering solutions for challenging structural designs. Radius Track Corporation was the project’s CFS specialty contractor. Tidal Construction Services, Inc., was the installing contractor.

The project received the Design Excellence — Honorable Mention honor in the 2024 CFSEI Awards presented by the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute. The award entry was submitted by Lauren Gutknecht of McClure.

The roof panels at Angelo Caputo’s — Norridge had complex geometry and load requirements. Photo courtesy of Radius Track Corporation

3,000 SF of Roof Panels

McClure was tasked with designing 3,000 square feet of roof panels, 1,000 square feet of exterior soffit panels and 2,000 square feet of interior field-framed soffit framing.

These elements presented several challenges, including complex geometry, load requirements and integration with other building systems.

The roof panels needed to support typical ASCE 7 loads for roofs (dead, live, snow and wind) as well as an increased 30 psf roof live load.

Each panel is comprised of two curved beams spanning between structural steel roof beams, with roof joists spanning in the opposite direction. Each prefabricated panel had to drop geometrically between the steel layers.

Due to the doubly curved nature of the finish geometry, the straight wide-flanged steel beams height and location had significant variation in the height relative to the panel location. The variation created conditions where the CFS beams would require connections above, below and in the middle of the wide flange beams and would require panel support points past the extent of each beam.

A section of panels designed for Angelo Caputo’s, Norridge, Illinois. Photo courtesy of McClure

Braced Cantilevers and Vertical Tracks

To resolve these issues, the CFS panels were prefabricated. To create the connection points, the design included the following beam attachments:

• Above beams: Braced cantilevers were installed on top of each beam to set the top of the roof panels
• To face of beams: Where the beams clashed with the wide-flange beams, vertical tracks clipped to the wide-flange beams to create attachment surfaces
• Below beams for soffits: Braced cantilevers and stud segments infilled between structural steel layers

This panelized system with integrated beams allowed for fewer, though more robust, field connections and expedited the installation process. Fewer connection points on a curved panel also expedited the set time, as each joist did not require being field-located in 3D space.

The beam of steel connection design for Angelo Caputo’s — Norridge. Photo courtesy of McClure

The interior ceiling used radiused studs at 4-feet o.c., with radiused hat channels to create a two-way system with discrete hanging points. To prevent an additional load from hanging off the roof system, McClure specified that an additional joist be added between the steel — a secondary support system for this additional scope of framing.

This detailing approach — combined with the prefabrication, BIM and coordination — created a rapid installation and a bold, unique structure for the owner. Read the complete story and obtain the complete design diagrams for McClure’s 2024 CFSEI Design Excellence — Honorable Mention Award here.

Additional Resources

• McClure wins CFSEI Award for Balcony Design at Titletown Residential Project Near Green Bay
• Curved Cold-Formed Steel Framing at All Saints Orthodox Church in Albuquerque Earns CFSEI Award for McClure
• McClure Takes Top CFSEI ‘Residential/Hospitality’ Award for Triangle Square Project
• McClure Wins CFSEI Award for Church’s Multiple Cold-Formed Steel Domes