2009 ATC&SEI Conference on Improving the Seismic Performance of Existing Buildings and Other Structures
The ATC&SEI Conference on Improving the Seismic Performance of Existing Buildings and Other Structures took place on December 9-11, 2009 in San Francisco, California. The first of what is hoped to be a series of joint events between the Applied Technology Council (ATC) and the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineering (SEI/ASCE), this inaugural conference was well-attended with more than 500 participants from 23 countries. In addition to the technical sessions, there were more than 25 poster displays and 20 exhibitors in the exhibit hall.
Daily plenary sessions included world-class presentations by Mary Lou Zoback and William Holmes on National Seismic Hazard and Risk and the Report Card on Seismic Rehabilitation Progress, respectively, by Ron Hamburger and Maryann Phipps on a 2020 Vision for Performance-based Seismic Rehabilitation of Building Structural Systems and Seismic Anchorage and bracing of Nonstructural Components, respectively, and by Lucile Jones and Chris Poland on the Great California Shake Out and a Call to Action at the Professional and Political Level, respectively. Luncheon plenary speakers were Thomas Tobin, who spoke on San Francisco’s Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety, and Masayoshi Nakashima on the Role of Large Scale Structural Testing in Seismic Rehabilitation.
The Conference offered a strong program on state-of-the-art seismic evaluation and rehabilitation of existing buildings in four concurrent tracks of technical sessions including papers and presentations on:
- Improvements to Guidelines, Standards and Analysis Procedures,
- Seismic Performance and Rehabilitation of Non-Building Structures,
- Seismic Performance of Nonstructural Components,
- New Materials and Innovative Approaches for Seismic Rehabilitation, • Innovative Approaches to Rehabilitation,
- Mitigation Policy Issues, Strategies and Ongoing Programs, and
- Case Studies on Analysis and Rehabilitation.
By attending these sessions, participants could earn up to 16.5 professional development hours.
Among the technical sessions, one highlight was a presentation by Kit Miyamoto of Miyamoto International on work in Turkey to protect the population from the devastating effects of earthquakes. Outlining a broad program funded by the World Bank, the presentation illustrated the dramatic difference committed professionals can make in raising awareness of the need to improve a community or nation’s response to seismic risk, thus impacting the lives of millions who benefit from buildings, schools or bridges that can withstand the rigors of seismic loading. Another highlight was the hands-on demonstration in the hotel lobby by Patrick Buscovich of Buscovich Associates and Laurence Kornfield of the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection on the use of garage doors to resist lateral forces with a full-scale model.
On the evening of December 10, conference attendees gathered for a gala dinner celebrating New Innovations in Seismic Strengthening Over the Last Decade at the historic San Francisco Ferry Building. With the support of Engineering News Record, awards were presented to practitioners in public and private practice. Jeremy Isenberg and Charlie Thornton presented awards to the following Top U.S. Seismic Strengthening Projects of the last decade:
TOP BRIDGE RETROFIT OF THE LAST DECADE
California Department of Transportation for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge: West Span Seismic Retrofit project. Ofelia Alcantara and Brian Maroney accepted the award.
TOP PROJECT OF THE LAST DECADE INVOLVING THE SEISMIC RETROFIT OF AN EXISTING CONCRETE STRUCTURE
Tipping Mar and Associates for 2850 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, California. Leo Panian accepted the award.
TOP PROJECT OF THE LAST DECADE INVOLVING THE SEISMIC RETROFIT OF AN EXISTING STEEL STRUCTURE
Degenkolb Engineers for Confidential Semi Conductor Manufacturing Building. Stacy Bartoletti and Jim Hord accepted the award.
TOP PROJECT OF THE LAST DECADE INVOLVING THE SEISMIC RETROFIT OF AN EXISTING MASONRY STRUCTURE
(two projects were awarded in this category)
Reaveley Engineers + Associates for the LDS Church Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Utah. Jeff Miller accepted the award.
TOP PROJECT OF THE LAST DECADE INVOLVING THE SEISMIC RETROFIT OF AN EXISTING MASONRY STRUCTURE
(two projects were awarded in this category)
Rutherford & Chekene for the Hanna House, Stanford University, Stanford, California. Bret Lizundia accepted the award.
TOP APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF SEISMIC ISOLATION TECHNOLOGY OVER THE LAST DECADE
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger for 185 Berry Street, San Francisco, California. John Sumnicht accepted the award.
TOP APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF ENERGY DISSIPATION TECHNOLOGY OVER THE LAST DECADE
Degenkolb Engineers and the Crosby Group for the Caltrans District 4 Building, Oakland, California. Jim Malley and Colin Blaney accepted the award.
TOP PROJECT OF THE LAST DECADE INVOLVING THE SEISMIC RETROFIT OF AN EXISTING MASONRY STRUCTURE USING SEISMIC ISOLATION
Rutherford & Chekene for the Hearst Memorial Mining Building, University of California, Berkeley. Hal Davis accepted the award.
The winners were also announced in the December 21st issue of the Engineering News Record magazine.