Waters of Highland Park: Engineered for Comfort, Community & Care

Project Overview

BKBM provided structural engineering services for Waters of Highland Park, a four-story, 114,000-square-foot senior housing community featuring 84 units and a wide array of lifestyle amenities. The project focused on delivering an engaging and supportive environment tailored for older adults.

Project Highlights

  • Comprehensive Senior Living Amenities:
    • The facility includes a restaurant, salon, spa, and fitness rooms, fostering an active and vibrant community.
    • Spacious, inviting common areas enhance resident well-being and social connection.
  • Robust Structural System:
    • The structure comprises a slab on grade, CMU foundation walls, a precast podium at the main level, and four stories of conventional wood framing spanning exterior walls to corridor walls, all beneath a flat wood roof.
    • Amenity-rich first floor with several upper-level structural walls that do not align directly above, requiring innovative solutions for both gravity and lateral support.
  • Design Challenges & Solutions:
    • Engineered support for unstacked upper-level walls, maintaining structural integrity while enabling large, open amenity spaces.
    • Designed a two-story open space for the main lobby, enhancing light and a sense of arrival.
    • Detailed a section of exterior precast concrete to serve as a sidewalk over part of the drive lane leading to the underground parking garage, ensuring durability and accessibility.

Engineering Solutions

BKBM’s approach combined creative framing, strategic load transfer design, and careful detailing to meet the architectural vision and operational requirements of the project. Close coordination with the design team allowed for resilient structures and beautiful, functional common areas that meet the demands of senior living.

Results & Impact

Waters of Highland Park stands as a modern, comfortable, and engaging environment for seniors in Saint Paul. BKBM’s structural engineering expertise provided long-lasting value, flexible amenity spaces, and a memorable sense of place for residents and visitors alike.