Higher Education/Research: Award of Merit: Utah State University Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Clinical Excellence

The Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center is designed to foster research, training and clinical service for adults, adolescents and families.

PHOTO COURTESY R&O CONSTRUCTION

Utah State University Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Clinical Excellence
Logan, Utah
Award of Merit

Owner: Utah State University
Lead Design Firm: Jacoby Architects
General Contractor: R&O Construction
Structural Engineer: Reaveley Engineers
Civil Engineer: Cache Landmark Engineering
MEP Engineer: WHW Engineering Inc.

The Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center is designed to foster research, training and clinical service for adults, adolescents and families. Construction of the four-story, 100,000-sq-ft facility was difficult due to its close proximity to other buildings on the medical campus. A typical cantilevered retaining-wall solution and the excavation space it required were out of the question. However, the use of horizontal-spanning, mini-shear walls in the basement and long-span floor beams on the above-grade floors enabled crews to get the job done. The team solved structural-load problems that came with building a large auditorium-style classroom directly on top of the underground parking by using lightweight geofoam to support the sloping floor, then covering it with a thin layer of concrete.