ZFI Engineering provided structural engineering services for the first phase of Heritage Hall’s Lower School, including an 8,800-square-foot gymnasium and locker room facility and a 2,500-square-foot music room, offices, and storage areas.
The gymnasium and locker rooms were designed as an ICC 500-compliant storm shelter, engineered to withstand extreme wind loads and horizontal and vertical windborne missile impacts. The steeply sloping site required the gymnasium to be partially embedded into the hillside, with portions of the structure retaining 6 to 8 feet of earth above the finished floor. ZFI’s structural design addressed both the complex site conditions and the enhanced performance requirements of the storm shelter, resulting in a resilient, safe, and durable facility for Heritage Hall.
