U.C. Berkeley sits astride the Hayward Fault, which experts have predicted has a 30-50% chance of a catastrophic rupture in the next 30 years. In response, Cal initiated an ambitious effort to assess and improve the performance of its many existing and future buildings.

In one example, The University asked CDComartin, INC to advise it on the design of a state-of-the art bioengineering laboratory that in addition to its $200 million cost, will generate approximately $50 million in annual research revenue. The University wanted to know whether a design that met the minimum provisions of the building code would adequately protect its investment, and if not, what design improvements could be made.

Working with the design team, CDComartin, INC used sophisticated engineering and benefit-cost analysis to assess expected earthquake losses over the life of the building and the predicted return on an investment in seismic improvements using new engineering technologies. Our study showed that if the building’s capacity to withstand earthquake forces was substantially enhanced, after about 15 years the University would be expected to recover its costs; and over the 50 year projected building life, the net return on investment would exceed 11%.

U.C. Santa Cruz is committed to increasing its enrollment by 50% over the next ten years. To this end it has embarked on an ambitious construction and seismic retrofit program. Having experienced first hand the effects of the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989, UC Santa Cruz is intimately aware of the risks they face being so near the San Andreas Fault.

CDComartin, INC is providing peer review services for several existing and new buildings of all structural materials including: non-ductile concrete, wood, steel and masonry. We have used our knowledge of performance based design and our extensive experience in seismic retrofit to ensure that the University receives the best possible advice and review services, thereby maximizing the safety of its community, preserving its valuable educational mission and controlling the expenditure of precious resources.

BART is one of the Bay Area’s most critical transportation networks. The majority of its infrastructure was built in the 1970’s however, and is highly vulnerable to earthquake damage. In 2000, BART assembled a large team of structural engineers to make a comprehensive assessment of current system vulnerabilities, establish criteria for a multi billion dollar rehabilitation of deficient structures and develop conceptual retrofit solutions.

Stanford University employs over 9,000 faculty and staff and is home to over 14,000 students. With annual revenues of nearly $1.6 billion and an endowment over $5 billion, Stanford’s facilities are one of its most important assets. The Loma Prieta Earthquake made Stanford acutely aware not only of the risks its older structures posed to its community, but of the vulnerability of its labs, classrooms and residences. A major nearby earthquake would have the potential to close the university for an extended period, jeopardizing its place as one of the world’s premier institutions. Stanford has recently completed a nearly $250 million 10-year effort to retrofit its seismically deficient buildings following the Loma Prieta Earthquake. Many of these buildings include some of the most historically significant structures in the Bay Area. Evan Reis, Vice-President of CDComartin, INC, personally designed the retrofit of several of these structures, including the Memorial Church and the Stanford Art Museum. Both have won national and statewide awards for the preservation efforts.

 

CDComartin, INC has worked with the University to reduce its risks by identifying its most vulnerable buildings and priorities for retrofit. We developed campus-wide design standards to achieve the long-term goal of sustainability after a severe earthquake. As part of this effort, CDComartin, INC calculated expected capital and business interruption losses for individual buildinggs and performed cost-benefit analyses to achieve design strategies that optimize life cycle costs. Craig Comartin, President of CDComartin, INC, was instrumental in the development of Stanford’s program for seismic rehabilitation, authoring the Campus guidelines for seismic retrofit. Recently, he was honored by the California Preservation Foundation for his efforts on behalf of Stanford in directing the engineering aspects of the University’s overall rehabilitation program.

Ongoing technical research into the earthquake performance of buildings is vital to the development of newer and more creative solutions to the challenge of renovating existing and historically sensitive buildings. Craig Comartin, Evan Reis and Kevin Moore have all  served on numerous code and standard writing committees that have pushed the state of the art of performance based seismic design and retrofit. Several of these standards have been used by state agencies as de facto regulations for rehabilitating their older structures. In particular, the Department of the State Architect is currently discussing with CDComartin, INC how current standards can be incorporated into the rehabilitation and reuse of school facilities.

Non-ductile concrete buildings are generally considered to be the most hazardous class of structures after unreinforced masonry. They are very common throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Mitigation of seismic risks associated with these buildings has become a priority for building owners in light of recent earthquakes. Craig Comartin has played a key role in the development of federal guidelines and standards for the design and retrofit of concrete buildings. He has been asked by federal agencies and research groups to travel to the sites of devastating earthquakes worldwide, to assess the performance of concrete structures and learn how design standards can be improved to prevent similar disasters in this country.

Healthcare in California faces daunting challenges over the next decades not only from the rising costs of medical services but from the burden of compliance with seismic regulations. Senate Bill 1953, passed in 1995 after the Northridge Earthquake, mandates that all acute care facilities in the state be compliant with the seismic provisions of the California Hospital Code by the year 2030. Several interim deadlines must be met between now that that time. The effort is likely to cost California hospitals in excess of $24 billion in rehabilitation and replacement of older, non-conforming hospitals.

CDComartin, INC is currently assisting several hospitals with their compliance programs. We are helping them optimize capital expenditures and navigate the often cumbersome and lengthy Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) review process. We provide overall corporate planning services to help hospitals prioritize their rehabilitation efforts and meet the OSHPD compliance deadlines. We also work with the design team, architects and engineers, to provide a quality assurance check of structural designs and facilitate the OSHPD plan check process with the overall goal of reducing a hospital's "time to market."