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Washington DC Convention Center Gets it Right with TWINSERT Interior Floor Expansion Joint Upgrade by EMSEAL
(Retrofit-2008)


More on Floor Joints:

How to Select Floor Joints

Healthcare Point Loads

Reference List

Interior Joint Products


Project Profiles:

Atlantic Station, Atlanta, GA (Migutan, Thermaflex, Colorseal, Migutrans-new-2004-05)

Clinton County Courthouse Ohio (Horiz.Colorseal-retrofit-1992)
Atlanta, GA 2.8 Million Square Foot CONRAC Airport Parking Facility (SJS, Thermaflex, Migutrans, Seismic Colorseal, Horizontal Colorseal, DSM System (new-2009)
Keyspan Park, Coney Island Cyclones, NY (Migutan, Thermaflex, Colorseal-new-2001)

Washington, DC Convention Center (Twinsert-retrofit-2008)

EMC2 Corporate Office Building & Parking Deck (DSM-retrofit-2007)
19-year Run at New York City's Guggenheim, COLORSEAL a Permanent Exhibit at Historic Landmark Museum
Hilton Boston Logan (Seismic Colorseal-new-1998)
Kinnick Stadium, U of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (DSH-retrofit-2006)

Jet Blue Terminal, JFK International Airport, NY, NY (Migutan-new-2007)

Lawrence Municipal Stadium, Lawrence, MA (Thermaflex-retrofit-2005)
St. Louis Lambert Field Airport (Colorseal-retrofit-2000)

Lincoln Performing Arts Center plaza deck expansion joint retrofit

Mississauga Living Arts Center, ON (Colorseal-retrofit-2000)
Longaberger Basket, Newark, OH (Backerseal-new-1997)
Montana State University Bobcats Stadium (DSM SYSTEM-retrofit-2011)
Mall of America (Backerseal-new-1992)
University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, MA (DSM-retrofit-2007)

NY Mets, Citi Field (SJS, Colorseal-new-2009)

Niketown, Newbury Street, Boston, MA (new-1998)
Orlando International Airport Southwest Terminal, Orlando, FL (Migutrans-new-2003)
Green Bay Packers,
Lambeau Field (DSM, SJS-retrofit-2007-09)
Citizens Bank Philadelphia Phillies Ballpark (Thermaflex, Migutan, Colorseal, 20H-new-2004)

President's Plaza, Chicago, IL (Migutan-retrofit-2001)

Port Allen Locks, New Orleans, LA (DSM Immersed, retrofit 2009)
Baltimore Ravens
M&T Bank Stadium (Thermaflex, Colorseal-new-1998)
Boston Red Sox
Fenway Park (Migutan, Colorseal-retrofit-2003)
Precision Living, Senior Living, St. Louis, MO (Seismic Colorseal, New-to-Existing, 2011)
Kansas City Royals Kauffman Stadium (Migutrans, Colorseal, Thermaflex-retrofit-2009)

Boston, MA Prudential Center (SJS-retrofit-2006)

Washington Redskins FedEx Field (Thermaflex-retrofit-2000-05)
Tampa International Airport, FL (Migutrans-retrofit-2006)

Woodbine Slots, Toronto, ON (Migutrans-retrofit-2000)

Zurich Insurance, Baltimore, MD (Thermaflex-new-2001)
100 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA (Migutan, Colorseal-new-2003)
300 North Park, Chicago, IL (Migutan-retrofit-1998)
 
Washington, DC--Convention centers feature traffic that arguably represents the entire world of products, services and the vehicles that keep them moving. 

Structural expansion joints are design elements necessary for accommodating movements within buildings.  These movements are caused by thermal changes, wind, dynamic loading and unloading, and seismic forces. 

Because expansion joints bisect the entire structure, they are essentially a gap through every element of the building--floors, walls, foundations, roofs, bathrooms, suites, halls, foyers, lobbies, waterproofing elements, and structural supports.  In interiors joint must withstand traffic from pedestrians and all kinds of wheeled traffic while at the same time must accommodate joint movement and traffic. 

In convention centers the diversity of traffic is huge.  Carts, hand trucks, forklifts, maintenance lifts, cars, boat trailers, and even aircraft can be rolled across the joints.
 

Point-loads from small, hard-wheeled traffic are often the hardest on joints. This is because localized rolling loads can quickly cause cupping, and bending of under-designed joint systems and even cracking of adjacent flooring.

Interior joint systems designed with aesthetics as their primary objective -- featuring pans, infills, "invisible" designs -- are often chosen without consideration of their suitability to the loads the joints will experience.

   

Fix attempt number one involved the too often employed approach of covering a bad joint with a cover plate.  While a quick fix, the result however was a system that sits proud of the floor posing a trip hazard with little advantage in the ability to handle point-loads.

It was quickly realized that this was not acceptable and that a flush-mounted system matched to the anticipated traffic loads was required.

The TWINSERT series of floor joints from EMSEAL combines two of any of EMSEAL's wide selection of interior joint products joined with any of a number of bridging options matched to the load, joint width, and aesthetic goals of the facility.

In the case of the DC convention center, experience had taught that load and smooth rolling surface outweighed in importance the desire to completely hide the joint under the flooring material.

The FS 110 system was selected as the flanking standard model for its smooth rolling surface, ability to absorb joint movement within the joint as opposed to sliding over flooring materials, and because of its high point-load resistance.

The bridging unit selected was solid, 1/2-inch thick Type 6061 aircraft aluminum with a sandblasted finish.  

Installed, the FS 110 TWINSERT coordinates well with the aesthetics of the structure while ensuring that pedestrian, rolling and point load traffic is accommodated.  The retrofit was executed during non-active hours without the disruption of any events or other revenue-generating activity.

It is of course better to start out at new construction with EMSEAL as the basis of design for joint systems but retrofit is possible, practical and lasting and can be staged for minimal disruption.  Retrofit can also be phased to suit budget constraints--allowing for gradual upgrade of all joints over time. 

Lasting expansion joint solutions in sports, assembly, convention and performing arts venues as well as in retrofit of existing structures is a central focus of EMSEAL's. 

The company's unique approach to expansion joint treatment combines innovative materials technologies with a fresh look at the roles of owners, designers, general contractors, manufacturers and subcontractors, in achieving trouble-free expansion joints.

The approach is grounded in an integrated, collaborative process centered on joint treatment that requires all of these parties to think, design, detail, specify, construct, fabricate, and install three-dimensional solutions.


Meet online now:

 

Expansion joints and precompressed joint sealants by EMSEAL

1-800-526-8365 -- 508-836-0280 --  techinfo@emseal.com -- Fax: 508-836-0281

EMSEAL JOINT SYSTEMS LTD. 25 Bridle Lane, Westborough, MA 01581
EMSEAL LLC. 120 Carrier Drive, Toronto, ON M9W 5R1

Last Modified: February 06, 2012



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