Testing of Innovative Structural Walls for Frank Lloyd Wright's Hanna House

To seismically strengthen Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hanna House while preserving its landmark architecture, R&C developed a creative strengthening scheme that involved inserting new plywood sheets, steel frames, and wood screws into a ¾" space within the existing walls. R&C supervised experimental testing in an independent lab to verify the structural properties of this assembly.

Testing of Buckling-Restrained Braces for UC Berkeley Stanley Hall

Before incorporating buckling-restrained braced frames into the seismic force-resisting system for UC Berkeley’s new Stanley Hall, R&C developed and supervised a program of experimental testing to demonstrate the favorable seismic performance characteristics of this new technology.

Probabilistic Seismic Assessment for PG&E Utility Buildings

Working with university researchers and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), R&C tested and refined the Advanced Seismic Assessment Guidelines developed at Stanford University and applied the procedure to two sample structures. Subsequently, R&C has used the probability-based methodology for the seismic assessment and retrofit of five other PG&E buildings and also applied the procedure to buildings at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco.

Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation, Infill Frame Research

Funded by the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation program of the National Science Foundation, this practical research project includes testing and advanced analysis of brick-infill structural systems Researchers from three universities, along with a panel of practitioners, collaborated on the project. Principal, Joe Maffei, chairs the project advisory panel, composed of seven prominent structural engineers with expertise in infill construction and seismic behavior. Testing for the project included component tests at Stanford University, infill wall tests at the University of Colorado Boulder, and a three-story shake-table test at UC San Diego. Analyses include finite element models of infill and frame components and nonlinear response history analyses of prototype structures and test specimens.