Saiful Bouquet provided structural engineering services for the conversion of the existing 12-story concrete flat plate office building to hotel occupancy.
The building’s existing non-ductile concrete perimeter pier/spandrel system was strengthened by the addition of new exterior steel Buckling Restrained Braced Frames (BRBFs), which acted in conjunction with the existing elements to satisfy the seismic criteria. The braced frames were founded on new pile foundations at the perimeter of an existing basement. The project team worked with artists to conceal the braced frames with a colorful translucent scrim that allowed daylight through while concealing the structural BRBFs.
This project was the first high-rise building in Los Angeles strengthened to satisfy the City of Los Angeles’ Non-ductile concrete seismic retrofit ordinance. The project included replacement of an existing single-story pool enclosure structure and a new roof deck.
