Exclusively Designed
Foundation: French Broad Place sits on a deep concrete foundation extending 50 feet below ground. It includes 323 auger piles and pile caps, 250 truck loads of concrete and over 50 tons of reinforcing steel. The auger piles were placed by a crane mounted drill rig that accurately formed 16″ diameter holes and pumped them full of 5,000 psi grout.
Structure: An engineered pre-cast structural design that includes over 1,000 unique pieces. These elements (wall panels, columns, beams and decks) were cast at facilities in Greenville, SC and Charlotte, NC and carried to Brevard on 500 trucks over 4 months. The pre-cast elements consist of 6,000 psi concrete, high grade reinforcing bars and pre-stressed reinforcing cables. Typical wall panels are 8 or 9 inches thick and weigh an average of 10 tons each. The stair wells, elevator shaft and exterior panels serve as shear walls that integrate with the concrete floor topping to form a three dimensional grid and seismic resistant design.
Sound Controlling Design: Exterior walls included 8+ inches of concrete and 4 inches of spray foam insulation. This combination of mass and sound absorbing materials effectively stops most outside noises. Partition walls are designed to an STC (sound transmission class) rating of 61. By comparison, a typical interior house wall (1/2″ dry wall on each side of a 2×4 stud) is a STC 33. At STC 61 we are at the top of the list for sound wall quality providing superior sound proofing, rendering most sounds inaudible. This sound rated assembly includes multiple layers of 5/8″ thick sheet rock mounted on resilient metal channels, sound rated insulation and sound proof caulking. The floor systems consist of 6″ of concrete, insulation and sheet rock that also utilizes the “mass to block and insulation to absorb” concept of sound abatement.
Efficiency: Another advantage of the concrete structure lies in its thermal mass. The volume and mass of the outside walls tend to hold the average temperatures that are so ideal in the Brevard area. A hot afternoon or a cold night is moderated by the thermal energy that is carried by the building. This means your home remains a consistent temperature year round with less energy demand.
Rooftop Garden: The garden located above our parking structure offers many advantages to French Broad Place. Besides being a wonderful place to enjoy an afternoon, the grass absorbs storm water, the trees and bushes absorb sound and provide cooling shade and the structure provides covered parking spaces.
