Week 5 - Raise the Roof

    This week we took a tour through some of the campus buildings, looking at Huff Hall, the Armory, and the Football Training Center. We focused on the methods used to hold up the massive ceilings these buildings have.

    First up was Huff Hall. It does a great job of having many trusses that lead into one another, creating almost a web that supports the roof. The largest flaw with this gym was the multiple pillars in the stands, which block the view of events from the seats at times. We next looked at the Armory, as pictured. The ceiling is a surprisingly beautiful set of arching trusses, which come all the way from the ground up until a single point where they are held together by a single peg. The armory has never really struck me as too visually appealing, but I really could appreciate the inner track area here. Last we looked at the Training Center. This was interesting because the trusses run long ways across the building, and then secondary supports run the shorter path. Since the building was kept small enough, this was a cost effective way to make sure the roof was high enough for sports to be played inside.