HIGHLANDS RANCH SCHOOL EXPANSION TAKES SHAPE WITH LONG-SPAN STEEL DESIGN

Highlands Ranch High School

Highlands Ranch, CO



Client: Hollis + Miller Architects

The Colorado office conducted a site visit for a 12,000 SF school addition in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, currently under construction. The roof framing utilizes 80-foot-long open web steel joists supported by steel beams and columns, with exterior non-load-bearing CMU walls. The long-span joists create a large, flexible space without interior bearing elements while maintaining an economical design. The structure is supported by a deep foundation system consisting of cast-in-place concrete caissons, grade beams, and pile caps.

ENGINEERING A 60-FOOT-TALL SINGLE-STORY TRAINING FACILITY

Industrial Training Facility

New York



Architect: P2G Architecture

This Industrial training facility comprising multiple one-story building volumes with varying roof heights. The structure is steel-framed with steel cross bracing serving as the lateral force-resisting system.

A key design challenge is the single-story configuration with heights up to approximately 60 feet, requiring careful consideration of lateral stability and member slenderness. The exterior wall system consists of precast composite modular cladding system requiring close coordination for connection design to the steel framing to accommodate tolerances and ensure proper load transfer.

PROJECT GALLERY

DESIGNING FOUNDATIONS FOR CHALLENGING SOIL CONDITIONS

Structural foundations is often a critical aspect of design in regions with highly variable subsurface conditions, where soil characteristics can significantly impact foundation performance. Expansive clays, loose alluvial deposits, and moisture-sensitive soils and organic layers are common. Making early evaluation and mitigation of soil limitations is essential to a successful design.

Our office has encountered these conditions on multiple projects where native soils were unsuitable for supporting conventional shallow foundation systems. Geotechnical investigations identified low bearing capacity and a high potential for movement due to moisture fluctuations. In response, we worked closely with the geotechnical engineer to develop foundation systems capable of providing both stability and long-term performance.

On one specific project, we utilized a combination of deep foundation elements—cast-in-place concrete caissons and steel-encased micropiles—to transfer...

...structural loads to more competent strata at depth. These systems were selected for their ability to bypass problematic near-surface soils while accommodating site constraints and load requirements.

In conjunction with the deep foundation system, the building incorporated an interior slab-on-grade supported on engineered structural fill. This approach allowed for a more uniform and predictable slab performance by replacing unsuitable soils with properly compacted material, reducing the risk of differential settlement and slab distress.

A variety of deep foundation systems are available depending on site conditions, including driven steel, concrete, or timber piles, drilled caissons, and helical piles. The success of these solutions is driven by close coordination between structural and geotechnical teams, ensuring that design assumptions align with field conditions and construction methods.

We are seeking both an entry-level and a mid-level structural engineer for our Danbury, Connecticut office.

Responsibilities include conducting structural engineering analysis and design for building foundations and superstructures, reviewing submittals, performing construction site inspections, and evaluating existing structural systems.

If you are interested, please get in touch with us at: info@tdeg.com

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Serving clients throughout the Northeast and Colorado from our Connecticut and Colorado offices