Charles P. Allen High School and Community Centre

In collaboration with our partners at Architecture49, BMR served as the structural consultant-of-choice on the award winning, 146,000 square foot Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Designed for up to 1200 students in grades 9 to 12, this state-of-the-art school was awarded the 2013 Lieutenant Governor’s Design Award of Merit as well as LEED Gold certification. Offering programs and services for the general public, there is also a community centre integrated with the school. The four-level facility includes a full-size gymnasium, library, cafeteria, music & drama centers, visual arts spaces, learning commons, and tech/production spaces among other modern amenities for students and staff.

This massive facility consists of a structural steel frame of varied complexity supported on a reinforced concrete foundation system. The open-concept interior spaces required long-span open-webbed steel joists be incorporated into the roof design. Second, third, and fourth level floor framing consists of composite concrete slabs supported on a combination of structural steel beams, open-webbed steel joists, and load-bearing masonry walls. Laterally, the complex building diaphragms were designed the resist wind and seismic loads through a series of structural steel rod braces and concrete block shearwalls. The large areas of architectural curtain glazing on the exterior envelope were designed to resist wind loads through a series of structural steel girts and wind columns within the wall assemblies.

BMR is proud of our team’s track record of meeting and exceeding our valued customers needs and the successful completion of the challenging Charles P. Allen High School project is no exception.

Key Points

• Long-span structural steel roof joists designed to accommodate large open spaces
• Challenging design scope and detail level for various design features and amenities within the building
• Structural steel composite mezzanine slabs supported on load-bearing masonry and structural steel girder beams
• Structural steel girt & column system to support curtain glazing design
• Meticulous coordination required with many stakeholders for successful completion of project

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