Structural Engineers

This residential row-housing renovation project with Bonstra | Haresign Architects consisted of a large lobby area, five floors of residential units and a communal penthouse with an exterior pergola space.

The Challenge

The building was subject to high lateral roads with poor soil conditions. Also, there were multiple areas where framing needed to transfer out over the large open spaces at the lobby area.

The Solution

To accommodate the high lateral loads, CMU shear walls were used at the stairs as well as at the elevator core. Since the soil conditions produced low soil bearing capacities, a mat foundation was used under each of the three CMU shafts.

Steel beams were used to transfer out some of the heavier column loads from above. The spans involved were relatively large and beam depth was beginning to play a factor, so Structura chose to use a beam with a wider flange to allow the structure to be concealed within the floor space and still be sufficient to carry the heavy loads which were being transferred out from above.

The Takeaway

Building loads play a leading role in governing the direction of how a building is supported.  Structura analyzed the loads and recognized what kinds of limitations were provided to come up with an effective structural solution to meet the client’s recommendations.