MMI provided structural and civil engineering services for the new LSU Health Sciences Foundation office building. The scope of the project involved demolition of an existing structure to make room a new 4-story 25,000 square foot building that provided both office space for the LSU Foundation and leasable space. Given the tight site restrictions, parking for the new facility was located within the footprint of the building on the first floor. The new structure was built using cast in place construction with a one-way post-tension slab and beam system. Support of the structure against lateral loads, such as wind and seismic, utilized a combination of beam and column moment frames and shear walls. The entire structure was supported on 16” diameter 85 foot long steel pipe piles and was modeled using ETABS, a finite element analysis and design program. Civil scope for the project included new utilities, drainage, grading, and sidewalk paving around the facility.

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A few of the unique features of the project includes new foundation work that required coordination with the existing pile foundations of the original structure that had occupied the site, and the triangular building shape. New foundations were configured to avoid existing piles and pipe piles were chosen in part for their durability against incidental damages during driving in close proximity to existing piles.