Fairfield, CT
Sacred Heart University, Linda E. McMahon Commons
Scope/Solutions
The new Linda E. McMahon commons building at Sacred Heart University offers a central meeting facility for students and faculty. The 65,000 sq ft, three-story building incorporates a student bookstore, a cafeteria, a boardroom, an interactive video conference center, and a bar. Two stories of the building cut into the hillside to accommodate the sloping terrain, and a partial basement below the water table required a completely waterproofed structure. SGH performed structural engineering services for the design and construction and also provided building enclosure and waterproofing design consultation to the architect.
Highlights of SGH’s work on the project include:
- Structural design that included design of concrete shear walls and structural steel framing and metal deck floor slabs.
- Design of cast-in-place concrete foundation walls around the building’s mechanical room
- Design of integrated structural curtain wall mullions to support the glazing and structure to provide maximum visibility and minimal structural impact
- Design to support hung stone rain screen system
- Development of a three-dimensional Revit model (BIM) to coordinate with architecture, civil, and MEP designs
Project Summary
Solutions
New Construction
Services
Structures | Building Enclosures
Markets
Education
Client(s)
Sasaki Associates, Inc.
Specialized Capabilities
Building Design | Facades & Glazing | Roofing & Waterproofing
Key team members
Additional Projects
Northeast
Colby College Museum of Art, Alfond-Lunder Family Pavilion
The Colby Museum of Art offers 38,000 sq ft of exhibition space within a building built over many decades. SGH provided building enclosure consulting services for the 26,000 sq ft addition that includes 10,000 sq ft of exhibition space, studios, study and office space, and art storage.
Northeast
Lynn Classical High School
Lynn Classical High School is a one- to three-story structure built on construction debris fill. Shortly after construction, staff observed water leakage and significant damage due to settlement of the structure. SGH investigated the causes of the issues.






