The 95,000 square foot commercial/retail component of Ramsey Town Center is anchored by a 60,000 square foot Coborn’s grocery store and includes three other multi tenant one-story retail stores. The grocery store has precast concrete wall panels with steel framing, steel deck joists and beams. The façade of the grocery store also includes a tower built in to architectural and structural design.
The three retail buildings are one-story steel frame with a steel stud exterior skin with brick and EIFS. The exterior façade is primarily glass. The structural design need to consider wind loads for the overall structural stability and for the exterior walls. To ensure the required stability with the open exterior, a combination of braced frames and moment frames was used. To accommodate the desired open floor plan and minimize the number of columns, both in the interior and exterior, we devised a system integrating structural steel components with light gauge metal framing in the exterior walls.
VAA collaborated with the architect to design a structural system that accommodates the interesting architectural façades that were very open and bright. The framing accommodated signage and canopies and was an economical and serviceable solution.
One of the three small retail buildings is built immediately adjacent to a man made pond, which also serves as a retention pond. The building foundation wall is actually in the water and a deck is built out over the pond with concrete piers going down into the pond. The deck serves as outdoor dining for two restaurants and as a promenade for shopping. At the prominent corners of the buildings are rectangular towers with clerestory windows.
