Fairfield, CT

Sacred Heart University, Linda E. McMahon Commons

Scope/Solutions
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Project Summary

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