MMI provided structural and civil engineering services for the construction of a new two-story, 190,000 square foot school and a 65,000 square foot detached “Convocation Center”.   The academic building includes classrooms, special education areas, a media center, a full cafeteria and kitchen and science labs, whereas the Convocation Center will be used for sports, music and theater.

 

The first floor framing consists of two-way cast-in-place concrete slabs supported by single piles, pile caps and perimeter grade beams.  The second floor is framed with light weight concrete slabs cast on metal deck, composite steel beams and girders, which are all supported by structural steel columns. The roof consists of a metal deck, bar joists and structural steel beams and girders. Approximately 1,600 60-foot long treated timber piles were used on the project, utilizing a design load of 25 tons.  An efficient structural design was realized using 2-inch and 3-inch metal decks which allowed for greater beam and joist spacing, as well as significant repetition in the framing systems.

 

The civil scope of work required enhancement of the entire site for grading and drainage purposes.  Parking lot layout and driveway entrances were designed to incorporate vehicular turning of school buses and tractor trailer trucks accessing the site for delivery purposes.  MMI conducted detailed site investigations for the design of a stormwater management system as the existing ground cover was grassy open space, 70% of the site area to be replaced with impervious pavement and new building addition.

 

In order to effectively handle the stormwater runoff generated by new paving and building addition, a stormwater management plan was prepared to meet local (Department of Public Works and Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans) requirements. Hydrologic and Hydraulic calculations were completed to determine the minimum storage volume required on site to ensure that “no increase in runoff” occurred due to the development site’s increase in stormwater runoff. Several detention basins were designed to temporarily detain the increase in peak flows so that the post-developed site catchment discharge was equal to or less than the pre-developed site catchment discharge. These calculations were completed for up to the 100 year design storm.  Additional calculations were also completed to locate and size the underground stormwater network to convey runoff within the development site to the detention basins and then ultimately to the existing street drainage system.

 

Carver High School was designed to meet LEED Silver certification. The Design-Build team utilized "BIM” implementation starting with design and extending all the way through construction.