Boston, MA

Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Scope/Solutions

The Horace Mann School, the country’s oldest public day school for the deaf and hard of hearing, is temporarily relocating to the Edwards School building in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The 1931 Edwards School is a three-story concrete and masonry structure that is being renovated to accommodate the new students. SGH is serving as the structural engineer of record for the project.

The project includes modernizing and upgrading the building to meet current code requirements for accessibility and guidelines for the hearing impaired. SGH designed structural modifications, including:

  • A new elevator core within the existing masonry walls and an elevator pit supported on helical piles
  • A new interior ramp constructed with light-gauge steel framing and designed to minimize the additional weight on the existing structure
  • Resupporting the existing concrete slab at new floor openings
  • Adding new framing to support an audio booth
  • Openings in the existing masonry walls to accommodate the reconfiguration of spaces and new mechanical systems
  • New dunnage structures to support new mechanical equipment, strategically located to minimize strengthening the existing structure
  • Repairs to address concrete deterioration at existing perimeter site walls

Project Summary

completion-date

2024 (anticipated)

Completion Date
construction-value

25M

Construction Value
building-size

82K

Project Size
Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Structures
Markets
Education
Client(s)
Machado Silvetti
Specialized Capabilities
Repair & Strengthening

Key team members

Paul Kassabian
Paul Kassabian
Principal
Phone icon781.907.9258 Email iconpekassabian@sgh.com
Charlotte Bouvier, P.E., S.E., Ing.
Charlotte Bouvier, P.E., S.E., Ing.
Senior Project Manger
Phone icon781.907.9000 Email iconcabouvier@sgh.com

Additional Projects

Northeast

University of Connecticut, Beach Hall

SGH completed a hands-on investigation of the masonry facade and roofs to determine the causes for masonry deterioration and apparent leakage into the building.   
Northeast

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rockwell Athletic Cage (W33)

SGH investigated the roof structure and observed several trusses with local failures, primarily including tension fractures of bottom chord members.
See All Projects