| Introduction
Combining numerous science disciplines under one roof, UC
Berkeley’s new Stanley Hall serves as an archetype not
only for scientific research, but also for innovations in engineering.
The new building replaces the previously existing Stanley Hall
and houses the Department of Bioengineering, part of the Department
of Molecular and Cell Biology, and particular research veins
of the departments of Chemistry and Physics. Designed to serve
as an interdisciplinary science hub, the 240,000 square-foot
facility is four times the size of the previous hall, and provide
state-of-the-art laboratories and technology for the study of
chemistry, microbiology, bioengineering and nanophysics. Built
into a sloping site with several setbacks, the building includes
seven levels of steel frame construction above grade, and three
levels of concrete frame construction below grade. The lateral
system for the project consists of steel buckling-restrained
braced frames (BRBFs) above grade, which transfer lateral forces
to concrete shear walls below grade to mitigate the effects
of seismic activity.
History
The original Stanley Hall was constructed in the 1950s.
The 60,000 square-foot building is seismically unsound. The
previous hall was a plain building with little historical significance;
therefore, the structure’s replacement was considered
the most cost-efficient method of creating needed science facilities
for the campus.
Design Challenges
UC Berkeley requires verification of baseline performance
of life safety systems for seismic shaking intensity with a
10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, and collapse
prevention with a 10% probability of being exceeded over a 100
years. The university also requested that the newly constructed
building have the capability to allow for reoccupation within
a maximum of few weeks after a major seismic event. R&C
utilized performance-based engineering techniques to evaluate
and verify the building’s seismic performance in order
to adhere to the university’s guidelines. R&C implemented
the use of BRBFs for the project’s lateral system because
of its energy absorbing capability, appropriate initial lateral
stiffness, and relative ease of repair after a damaging earthquake.
R&C
undertook project-specific subassemblage tests necessary to
comply with proposed provisions for the BRBF system. Tests of
this type had never before been performed and benefited the
structural engineering community as a whole. The testing revealed
the excellent performance of the chosen unbonded braced frames
under significant axial and flexural strains. These findings
are described in an R&C-authored article for the 71st Annual
Convention of the Structural Engineers Association of California
(López, Gwie, Saunders and Lauck).
The Team
Structural Engineer: Rutherford & Chekene
Architects: Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership
Contractor: McCarthy Building Co. Inc.
Owner: UC Berkeley
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