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

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.