Three projects completed by raSmith’s structural engineers were awarded Design Excellence Awards from the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) during the professional association’s recent expo held in Chicago.
The Rose Hotel Chicago O’Hare (Rosemont, Illinois) and Dream Nashville Hotel (Tennessee) received first and second place awards, respectively, in the residential/hospitality category. The Rose Hotel Chicago O’Hare comprises four stories of load-bearing cold-formed steel framing supporting long-span deck floor slabs over a steel post and beam and composite-slab podium level. The upper load-bearing stories were panelized, with panel drawings by raSmith, and coordinated with the deck layouts. Dramatically sloping end walls are the hotel’s most prominent and unique design feature. raSmith’s Pat Hainault, structural engineer, led these design efforts, as well as solved the challenging method needed to mount and support the hotel’s three massive exterior signs.