EJLD Safehouse and Consolidated Facilities
Kenner, Louisiana
East Jefferson Levee District
Project Overview
The East Jefferson Levee District set out to create a consolidated facility to house its three different operations: main office, police station, and levee maintenance. The Levee District developed the eight-acre site in Kenner, Louisiana, to house all its facilities, which included four attached buildings and over 100,000 square feet of pavement. The consolidated facility included a 9,700 square foot vehicle maintenance building, a 3,700 square foot maintenance office, a 9,000 square foot police station, and a 4,600 square foot main administrative office. The site also included a vehicle wash facility, a gas station, gas tanks, and a stormwater retention system. Royal provided complete civil and structural engineering services for the project, including construction drawings and construction administration. The structural systems included structural steel, steel bar joists, CMU block, pre-engineered metal buildings, structural slabs, grade beams, pile caps, and treated timber piles. The civil design included both concrete pavement and permeable pavement design, site structures, storm water management design, and utilities design.
Project Work and Royal Solutions
The architectural design presented four structurally independent foundations and superstructures. The four buildings are also tied together with adjoining and intersecting exterior walls to create a completely connected series of separate building structures. Royal’s structural team designed an approach to the foundation that simplified it to a single-grade beam-type for all four structures and worked with a slab design to reduce pile quantities and concrete volume. The design also included large, exposed steel overhangs and canopies to facilitate an industrial feel. Royal’s team detailed the exposed structural steel connections on overhangs and canopies to provide the intended look and feel.
The civil team worked with local stormwater management requirements to design a stormwater drainage system that directed all runoff to two large retention ponds at the rear of the site. The design also included permeable aggregate paving in parking and laydown areas to reduce stormwater runoff.
During construction, the efficient structural design went up quickly, without delays or change orders. The overall construction was a success, and the East Jefferson Levee District was very satisfied with the design and construction of their new facility.
