YEA 2021 – Beecher Terrace Senior Building

RAI Engineering

Project Location: Louisville, KY

Category: Housing + Residential, Small Firm

Started: March 1, 2018

Completed: June 9, 2021

Project Budget: $21,000,000

Project Cost: $21,222,754

Project Leadership Team:

• Bernard Pincus – Director Choice Neighborhood Implementation- Louisville Metro Housing Authority
• Mike Saunders – Senior Vice President & Director of Design & Construction – McCormack Baron Salazar
• RAI Engineering: Structural Engineer
• Sherman Carter Barnhart: Architect
• Shrout Tate Wilson: Electrical and Mechanical Engineer
• Civil Design Inc: Civil Engineer
• Messer Construction: General Contractor

Project Overview:  The Beecher Terrace Senior Building project is part of a larger movement to return Louisville’s Russell neighborhood to its early desirability and prestige.  After decades of flooding, deficient public housing development, and misguided urban renewal efforts, the Russell neighborhood was in desperate need of redevelopment.  The redevelopment of the Beecher Terrace complex is a vital part of this renewal.  The Beecher Terrace Complex sits on 31.4 acres, directly adjacent to the city’s downtown central business district across 9th street.  A phased revitalization of the neighborhood, this project includes 640 housing units, featuring 620 mixed-use rentals, senior housing, and 20 homeownership units.  In addition, this development will comprise 39 new buildings and public roadways.  The first phase of the project is the senior building.  The Beecher Terrace Senior building is an incredible first step in this revitalization process; the building is a four-story wood framed structure, approximately 111,857 square feet in size, that contains 117 units for seniors and onsite management offices.  It also features offices, fitness centers, a crafts room, billiards, a doctor exam office, a salon, lounges, and a community dining and warming kitchen.  All walls in the structure are made of prefabricated wood wall panels and the floor and roof framing were constructed using pre-engineering wood trusses.

Impact(s): The Beecher Terrace Senior Building project is part of a larger project to help attract investment into the Russell neighborhood, which will subsequently improve the quality of life for all residents.  One of the major goals is to attract retail and commercial offerings while simultaneously decreasing the number of vacant buildings in the neighborhood.  This project also has environmental considerations in mind.  The redevelopment project is currently pursuing LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) and Enterprise Green Community Certification.

Highlights:

• Simpson Strong-Tie Strong-Rod system used for timber tie downs designed to tighten over time as wood frame shrinks
• Walls constructed of prefabricated wood wall panels
• Phase I of larger Beecher Terrace Development Project