Barrack Hebrew Academy, Campus Expansion

An existing office building and warehouse was purchased by Barrack Hebrew Academy, with the intention of converting it into a gymnasium. The school desired to remove the second floor as well as an interior column line, creating a double-high clear-span space.

To avoid shoring and to keep the existing roof framing, which significantly reduced construction costs, CVM devised a structural strengthening strategy that braced the exterior walls after the second floor was removed, and selectively added new steel to the existing roof-framing to create custom clear-span trusses. The existing interior columns were cut just below the bottom chord to achieve clear span space needed for the new gymnasium.

Location: Bryn Mawr, PA