Forell | Elsesser Engineers developed a complete seismic rehabilitation and renovation of this 107,000 GSF 1932 vintage steel-framed classroom and office building.
Customized Solution
- Forell | Elsesser provided structural engineering services for the seismic retrofit of this 1930s, 7-story, steel-framed building with cast-in-place concrete facade. The UCSF Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) sits on UCSF’s Parnassus Heights campus and the retrofit was part of a conversion from the original dental school building to research and office space.
- The retrofit scheme utilizes a unique post-tensioned concrete shear wall system with vertically-oriented buckling-restrained braces used to dampen the seismic response. This system provides ‘self-centering’ behavior after an earthquake so that there is little residual drift. The existing building is situated within inches of three adjacent UCSF buildings, and the post-tensioned concrete shear walls provide a stiff response so that CSB will not sway into the adjacent buildings during an earthquake. The retrofit scheme also allowed for the preservation of the building’s historic façade and allows for continued connectivity between the adjacent buildings.
- F | E also developed several ‘non-structural’ features that were utilized to maximize resilience after a small-to-moderate earthquake. These included free-standing partitions, which will require less-expensive repairs compared to their full-height counterparts, and alternate mechanical, electrical, and fire distribution line anchorage strategies.