Hollo-Bolt® specified on a 73-storey skyscraper
16 August 2016
After recently receiving the Los Angeles Research Report (LARR) and full seismic approval from ICC-ES for all seismic design categories (A to F), Lindapter International’s Hollo-Bolt® has been specified for Wilshire Grand Center, the tallest tower in western USA.
Opening in 2017, the billion dollar skyscraper designed by AC Martin, is poised to set the architectural standard for innovation, design and quality in Los Angeles. The main feature of AC Martin’s design is the swooping glass canopy, which creates an atrium with an architecturally exposed steel design.
Lindapter’s seismic approved Hollo-Bolt® was specified for connecting circular sections throughout the curved atrium structure. Following the structural engineer’s recommendation, steelwork contractors used over 3,000 M20 Hollo-Bolts to secure the structural hollow sections that form the swooping atrium framework.
In the heart of a high-risk earthquake zone, Hollo-Bolts were installed from just one side, rapidly achieving discreet splice connections without the need for drilling or welding. The extremely cost-effective installation did not require specialist equipment or specialist labour. It dramatically reduced the amount of work at height in comparison to traditional welding or through bolting methods. The design also eradicated the possibility of tube deformation that can be associated with through bolting if the bolts are over tightened. The end result was an aesthetically pleasing, clean and subtle connection which complements the design of the architecturally exposed structural steel.
The Lindapter Hollo-Bolt has an extensive range of independent approvals, including Los Angeles Research Report (LARR) and full seismic approval from ICC-ES for all seismic design categories (A-F). It is also independently approved as a structural connection for primary steel and features in the SCI/BCSA joint publication: ‘Joints in Steel Construction — Simple Connections’.
