Alaska Ship and Drydock Company
Additional Info
Award Winner : Modern Building Systems, Inc.
Architectural Excellence : The city of Ketchikan, Alaska is tied intricately to the Gulf of Alaska, and is extremely dependent on fishing, tourism and marine-related work for its employment and trade. This new two-story modular administration building, built for the Alaska Ship and Drydock Company, was situated on a ferry terminal dock virtually a “stones-throw” from the water.
The appearance and layout of this structure was designed to be very low-maintenance, able to withstand 120 mph Exposure D wind conditions, and an average of 137” of rain per year. Note: this is approximately the same amount of precipitation that a tropical rain-forest would receive. Due to the ferry dock being utilized around the clock, the client wanted the advantages of modular construction, so that they could quickly crane-set the building and complete it with minimal disruption to the normal dock activities.
The building size was 6751 square feet including the stairway modules, with a low-slope, gray TPO membrane roof.
Cost Energy Effectiveness : This two-story building was designed with an Arctic Envelope System, to make it better suited to handle the typical harsh weather conditions of that region. The structure utilized a wide-range of environmentally friendly, energy-saving features such as triple insulated low-e windows (30 U-Value), insulated exterior doors, building wrapping, and automated occupancy sensors. The manufacturing process used standard building materials when possible, for maximum cost efficiency, and was recently certified as EarthWISE, showing our commitment to environmental stewardship. Our recycling programs have also been recognized locally and in this region for our striving for greater sustainability with our building products, waste materials and reuse of recycled materials in floors, ceilings, siding and insulations.
Occupied Date : 9/16/2011
Production Start Date : 5/17/2011
Project Location City : Ketchikan
Project Location State Name : AK
Technical Innovation : This building was designed to be a durable yet cost-effective structure, able to handle the extremely harsh environment and rough interior usage caused by heavy work boots, tool belts and dripping wet clothing.
The roofing was specified to be a gray TPO product that could handle the salt air and rain. This color roof also kept the seagulls from pecking-off the roofing (which is very common problem with roofs in Ketchikan). The exterior siding was a standard yet very durable 24 gauge painted metal product that could handle the tough environment. The flooring was rated for a 2000 lb concentrated floor load for extra heavy-duty usage with heat-seamed vinyl flooring on the first floor and durable carpet tiles on the upper floor.
The project was also designed to utilize an innovative approach of custom fabricating a single transport chassis to move the units to the docks and onto the ferry. This approach was quite important as there are limited high-strength carriers in Alaska.
Total Square Feet : 6751