The Estate "Suncatch" is a 27,000 sq. ft. residence is built over a 20,000 sq. ft. subterranean garage, located in Rancho Santa Fe, California. One of Suncatch's main features is exposed structural steel beams painted oxide primer and infilled with Douglas Fir. The beam spans and cantilevers reach up to 80 feet. One of the challenges for the structural engineer involved calculating the camber required for the cantilevered beams so that the exposed wide-flange steel beams would end up straight and level. Complicating this was the variety of conditions involved in supporting the W24x229 beams with concrete structures, other cantilevered beams, bent columns, and column "trees". The lateral force-resisting system for the home was comprised of ordinary steel braced frames, moment frames, cantilevered steel columns, and concrete, masonry, and plywood shear walls. The home also features glass window panels up to 30 feet in height. All concrete building walls, basement walls, and site walls have the exposed concrete finish and were constructed using long wood I-joists as the form boards.
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