Medical Office, Building “D”
Glass facade, steel strength.
2024
Medical Office, Building "D"
The Project
This project involves the new construction of Medical Office “D,” a sophisticated commercial facility located on Johns Island, South Carolina. The design features a modern aesthetic defined by a “High Volume of Glass,” requiring a structural system that minimizes visual obstruction while maintaining rigorous safety standards. The building utilizes a structural steel frame with light gauge infill, topped with wood roof trusses, creating a resilient shell that balances strength with architectural transparency.
The Client
The client required a premium office environment that could serve the Charleston area market. They faced the dual pressure of satisfying strict local overlay requirements for architectural design while navigating the high construction costs of the post-COVID era. They needed a team capable of delivering a glass-heavy design that was both structurally sound in a hazardous environment and economically viable.
The Challenge
The primary challenge was engineering a structure with extensive glass facades in a region prone to both hurricanes and significant seismic activity. Large windows reduce the wall area available for bracing, making it difficult to resist lateral forces. Additionally, the site presented geotechnical risks, including liquefaction potential. The team had to design a system that could handle these extreme environmental loads without relying on traditional shear walls that would block the desired views.
The Solution
To accommodate the high volume of glass, the engineering team, led by T. Durtchi and Andy Richardson, utilized Special Steel Moment Frames as the primary lateral system. These frames provide the necessary rigidity and ductility to resist wind and earthquakes without the need for solid walls, preserving the open sightlines. The design was rigorously analyzed using the full suite of RISA Tech products (Floor, 3D, Connection, Foundation) to ensure every node and beam was optimized. Regular charrettes with LFK Architects and Harbor Contracting allowed the team to adapt the design in real-time, ensuring the complex steel work remained constructible and cost-efficient.
The Improvements
The project benefited from a “bought-in” approach to integrated software analysis. By utilizing the entire RISA ecosystem, the team ensured seamless data transfer between the floor design, the 3D frame analysis, and the foundation checks. This, combined with the firm’s proprietary Key Sheet Method for validation, created a highly efficient workflow. Exterior brackets were meticulously checked via hand calcs and ENERCALC to ensure even the smallest details met the high standards of the design.
The Results
With design work complete, the project is set to break ground, ready to rise as a testament to advanced structural planning. The Revit drawings, produced by Daniela Digori, provide a clear and precise guide for construction. The use of Special Steel Moment Frames successfully solved the “glass vs. gravity” conflict, delivering a building that is architecturally open yet structurally fortified against the Charleston elements.
