Western Carolina Regional Sewer Authority Administration Building
Greenville, SC
Construction began in 2007 on a new energy-efficient headquarters for the Western Carolina Regional Sewer Authority. The two original administration and engineering buildings, both aging and maintenance-intensive, were razed to make way for a single, two-story facility that houses the engineering, customer service, human resources, accounting, administration, purchasing and pre-treatment departments.
Britt, Peters and Associates provided civil and structural design services for this new LEED certified administrative building. Due to the sloping site, the grade at the front of the building is level with the slab on grade and is up to fourteen feet below the floor at the rear. The most economical foundation/floor system was to utilize foundation retaining walls that were temporarily braced during fill and slab placement and then permanently braced by the floor slab. The size, shape, and location of the steel framing consisting of composite beam, bar joists, trusses, braces and columns were coordinated with architectural features.
The first floor contains a reception area, a gallery space that leads to an exterior patio, six conference rooms of various sizes, office space, and a multi-purpose room that extends into the gallery area to accommodate large gatherings. The second floor provides additional office space, seven conference rooms, and an employee break room.
The challenge for our civil design team was to save as many of the trees as possible on the existing site. This was a factor in helping the facility to obtain LEED certification. The original parking lot was also a focus of our civil work, and most of it was retained.
