Memminger Elementary School

MMSA provided structural design services for Memminger Elementary School in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Constructed on the existing Memminger Elementary school site, the new 77,000 sf, two-story steel-frame structure replaces the original 1950s facility. An existing auditorium and two existing buildings will also remain standing. The structure is steel-framed with elevated concrete slabs on permanent metal forms. The “flat” roof is supported on metal roof deck and steel joists. The school utilizes steel frame on a soil-supported ground floor slab on the first floor and concrete decks on metal decking on the second floor. The walls are steel stud with brick exterior veneer and glazing. Foundations consist of shallow spread footings on improved soil with an allowable bearing of 2,000 psf. Exterior walls consist of brick with light gauge metal back-up. Stability for the structure is maintained by vertical steel bracing. There are two isolation joints that separate the facility into three sections. Seismic “drains” are also installed into the subgrade to mitigate liquefaction potential during an event.