Commercial Site Visit: Undergraduate Admissions and Visitors Center Building

          The  Undergraduate Admissions and Visitors Center Building on the Virginia Tech campus has made some big steps in the construction process over the last two weeks since I had a chance to visit it last.  The Hokie Stone Veneer on the north side of the building has been completed and the scaffolding has been removed.  Although the Hokie Stone Veneer is completed and attached to the structure, many of the joints have yet to be sealed around the edges where the stone meets the precast stucco panels.  These joints will serve as expansion and contraction joints.  Because the stone veneer and precast panels will expand and contract at different rates.  A flexible gap is needed between the two to prevent cracking and stress between the materials.

Area where Hokie Stone meets precast stucco pannels.

          Also since last visiting the site, the GWB used to sheath the exterior of metal stud frame has be covered with stucco.  This stucco will provide a waterproofing to the GWB and a good surface to to then attach either a Hokie Stone Veneer or precast panels too.

The two photos above show the GWB sheathing over a metal stud wall.

As you can tell from the first picture, a small portion of the wall has not been covered with stucco.

This is because precast stucco column will attach to the already placed panel above the opening.