I have recently begun shooting a series aerial photographs of buildings which have been retrofitted with large external steel bracing to prevent catastrophic failure during large magnitude earthquakes.
I find these structures interesting to look at and, in some cases, even artistic. I am curious to see how effective these structures will be if the "Big One" actually occurs.
Above is an aerial view of the City of Berkeley's Telegraph Channing (formerly Sather Gate) Parking Garage. This building was retrofitted in the mid-1990s with a steel structure to prevent collapse during a large earthquake. 700,000 lbs. of steel were used in this retrofit.
A 2013 City of Berkeley document says that this building is "still vulnerable to damage but not collapse."
Other examples of retrofitted external earthquake bracing can be seen in my "Bracing for the "Big One" album.
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Tags: earthquake retrofit steel structural engineering aerial photograph Berkeley California
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Aerial view of the Berkeley Art Museum, a bold 1970 design by Mario Ciampi, which was retrofitted in 2001 with external steel bracing (visible under the concrete body of the building) to prevent catastrophic failure during a large earthquake. The Hayward Fault, a fault zone capable of generating significantly destructive earthquakes, is only a few hundred yards up the street from this museum.
The museum has been closed as of December 2014, to be replaced with a new museum, currently under construction in downtown Berkeley and scheduled to open in 2016.
Other examples of retrofitted external earthquake bracing can be seen in my "Bracing for the "Big One" album.
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Tags: Berkeley Art Museum aerial photograph art music film Berkeley California
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Aerial view of Grifols Diasgnostics in Emeryville, California, which has been retrofitted with external steel bracing to prevent catastrophic failure during a large earthquake. Besides the prominent bracing in the foreground, there is more bracing visible in the upper right of the image where the building increases from 3 stories to 4.
The Hayward Fault, a fault zone capable of generating significantly destructive earthquakes, is only about 2 miles east of this building.
Other examples of retrofitted external earthquake bracing can be seen in my "Bracing for the "Big One" album.
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Tags: earthquake bracing retrofit aerial photograph structural engineering steel biotech Grifols Diagnostics Emerville California Grifols
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