Houston, TX
University of Houston RAD
Scope/Solutions
To replace the Satellite, the university’s underground student center that was plagued by flooding and suffered from a lack of natural light and campus visibility, the Board of Regents approved a project to construct a new retail auxiliary and dining center. Dubbed the RAD Center, the new two-story, mass timber building will house a food hall with capacity to serve up to 400 people along with a market and cafe. Under a master services agreement with the University of Houston, SGH consulted on the building enclosure design for the project.
SGH consulted on the design of below-grade and balcony waterproofing, air/water barriers, flashing, glass curtain walls and storefront systems, and low-slope roofing assemblies. Highlights of our work include:
- Evaluating the building enclosure design for watertightness, durability, reliability, constructability, and general suitability for the project
- Helping develop details for the various assemblies and to integrate them with each other and an existing 1970s building that abuts the RAD Center
- Assisting with enclosure details where the building facade systems interface with the mass timber structure, including air/water barrier continuity at overhanging soffits and roofing and waterproofing at the wood deck connections
- Consulting on waterproofing challenges related to existing buried structures exposed during the building demolition
- Participating in preconstruction and coordination meetings with the project team to discuss the building enclosure systems
- Performing construction phase services, including consulting on mockups of the exterior wall, reviewing contractor submittals, visiting the site to observe installation of the building enclosure assemblies, conducting field performance testing of the curtain wall and storefront assemblies, and helping the project team address field conditions
Project Summary
2024
41k
40M
Key team members
