Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Renovation and Expansion
Innovative solutions that last
Project Facts
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Owner | Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta |
| Size | 761,000 GSF |
| Cost | $107 million |
| Status | Completed 2007 |
Overview
The renovation and expansion of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) on the Egleston Campus required innovative design solutions. The five-story hospital addition was constructed above a new, four-story below-grade parking structure. From the top-down construction of a permanent earth retention system to accommodate site constraints to the integration of a curvilinear roof using structural steel for the hospital’s atrium entrance, the entire project showcases forward-thinking structural engineering. In addition, a flexible one-way slab and beam system in the hospital expansion ensured adaptability for future modifications.
Services
About the project
Our team provided structural engineering and full parking services, including functional design, graphics, and equipment, for an expansion at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) on the Egleston Campus.
Due to tight site constraints, a traditional retaining wall system was not allowed. A permanent earth retention system was constructed and built from the “top-down.” The roughly 340 feet by 320 feet footprint hole was excavated down 65 feet over the course of six months before the construction of the superstructure could begin.
The parking structure and hospital expansion above were constructed using cast-in-place concrete. The one-way slab and beam system were not post-tensioned to allow for future floor modifications and to accommodate the many slab depressions common to medical facilities. An innovative curvilinear roof was constructed using structural steel for the four-story high open atrium entrance on the south end of the hospital.
In addition to the hospital expansion, our team provided structural engineering services for a $50 million renovation of the existing hospital facilities. A new six-story high connecting corridor structure was constructed on the south end of the existing hospital. Six structural steel columns were threaded through small openings in the existing structure to bridge over the existing lower three levels. The steel columns support several new structural steel-framed levels which connect the new expansion to the existing hospital.
