Introduction
Former UC Berkeley Chancellor, Robert Berdahl, once called the Hearst Memorial Mining Building “the architectural gem of the entire UC System.” Designed by John Galen Howard, Hearst Mining has been the home of Berkeley's Materials Sciences and Mineral Engineering departments for close to 100 years. Few believed, however, that the elegant Beaux Arts structure would survive another decade. Located just 800 feet from the Hayward Fault, the unreinforced masonry structure was in serious danger of destruction by an earthquake.

Intent on preserving the landmark, the university opted to perform a full-scale rehabilitation using base isolation. Pioneered by Berkeley engineering professor James Kelly, base isolation is a foundation strengthening technique that uses rubber dampers to limit the lateral movement of a structure, thereby protecting it from strong seismic vibrations. In addition to base isolating the facility, the rehabilitation team worked to update Hearst's teaching and research areas and restore several of the building's original architectural features. Rutherford & Chekene provided structural services for the $68 million dollar project.

History
In the late 1800s, philanthropist Phoebe Apperson Hearst decided to donate a building to UC Berkeley in memory of her husband George Hearst, a miner, publisher and statesman. She sponsored an international design competition, but to her great disappointment the top three winners bowed out, unwilling to move to California to supervise the lengthy project.

In the end, it was the fourth place contestant, New York architect John Galen Howard, who agreed to take on the project. Gracefully blending the classical, Mediterranean and mission styles of architecture, the Hearst Memorial Mining Building is a triumph of beaux-arts architecture and has been designated a national landmark by the American Institute of Architects.

Design Challenges
Traditional seismic strengthening methods involve the addition of structural elements that can radically alter the architecture of a building. In the past, strengthening a historic masonry building like Hearst Mining would have required the insertion of an elaborate system of concrete and steel supports. The challenge for the present-day design team was to find a way to seismically correct the building without marring its architectural character. The best solution was base isolation; supported by elastometric (rubber) isolation devices, Hearst Mining is cushioned from damaging action caused by strong seismic ground motion. The retrofitted building is designed to move horizontally as much as 27 inches in a severe earthquake, thus minimizing the need for extensive strengthening to the existing superstructure.

The Team
Structural, Civil & Geotechnical Engineer: Rutherford & Chekene
Architect: NBBJ
Contractor: Turner Construction Company
Preservation Consultants: Page & Turnbull, Inc.
Owner/Client: UC Berkeley

Awards & Citations
The Hearst Mining Building received the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California's Excellence in Structural Engineering Award and the California Preservation Foundation's Design Award. It has been noted as “an award winning combination of base isolated seismic strengthening, critical program improvement and interior remodeling” (California Construction Link).

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