Higher Education

An 85,000 square foot addition was coupled with renovations to a 100,000 square foot historic structure to create a unified campus center. Structural renovations accommodate new mechanical systems, a library, and a theater within a masonry bearing-wall and steel-framed building. Extensive field investigations were performed to document the 1910 structure, for which no drawings existed. The five-level addition utilizes a composite, cast-in-place/precast concrete frame to meet strict seismic requirements. Features of the addition include ground stabilization to obviate underpinning the existing building, and a below-grade multipurpose space, the roof of which supports a landscaped plaza over a 50-foot clear span.