VA San Diego Building 1 Seismic Correction
We recently created this [the Partnership in Service Delivery Award] to communicate our deep appreciation to our partners who work hand in hand with us to deliver outstanding projects. The seismic correction major construction project certainly meets this definition—a quality effort, achieved at cost, and four months ahead of schedule.
Donald H. Orndorff, Director - Office of Construction & Facilities Management, United States Veterans Administration
Location:
La Jolla, California
Client:
United States Veterans Administration
Architect:
Leo A Daly
Additional collaborations with Leo A Daly:
Size:
855,000 Square Feet
Year Completed:
2008
Clark led construction efforts for the seismic retrofit of the VA San Diego Healthcare System Building I. The six-story, 855,000 square-foot facility, originally constructed in the 1970's, was the first operational hospital to have an exterior structural steel-braced frame constructed for sieismic support. The retrofit is designed to withstand a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
Four things contributed to the structural integrity of the retrofit: installation of new foundations and exterior stair towers with an integrated braced-frame system; seismic upgrade of utilities entering the building; core strengthening of the Penthouse structure to the surrounding building; and Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) applied in structurally weak locations.
The seismic retrofit of the VA San Diego Hospital also included abatement, demolition, and the removal, and replacement of eight existing stair towers. Existing metal panels were removed and reinstalled to accommodate for the steel tie-in work. The braced frames provide seismic strengthening through continuous slab edge connections.
The renovation and seismic rehabilitation was completed in phases, allowing installation of new structural braced frames in the midst of a fully-functional medical facility. The project was delivered four months ahead of schedule, had zero lost time incidents, and was awarded the Partnering Award by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Awards:
AGC San Diego - Build San Diego Award, Building Construction - Public Work
Building Design & Construction Magazine - Gold Award Restoration/Reconstruction
