The seismic retrofit of UC Berkeley's California Memorial Stadium

Abstract

SUMMARYThis paper addresses the seismic retrofit of the University of California at Berkeley's California Memorial Stadium (CMS) to accommodate surface fault rupture movements as well as intense seismic shaking from the Hayward fault. For the surface fault rupture aspect of the project, the project team took a multidisciplinary approach that involved structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, seismologists and geologists collaborating to establish design criteria and possible surface rupture scenarios. The mechanics of surface fault rupture are discussed relative to the structural design approach that mitigates the effects of surface deformations caused by the fault during an earthquake. The effects of the surface fault rupture were studied using small scale physical models and nonlinear finite element models of the building and rupturing ground surface. The retrofit scheme accommodates the concentrated ground deformations of an estimated 6 ft of horizontal movement and 2 ft of vertical offset caused by a surface fault rupture. Segments of the CMS that overlay the regions of possible surface fault rupture were decoupled from the main structure via movement gaps to accommodate relative displacements of the building segments, including tilting in the event of earthquake‐produced fault rupture. The results of the analyses are discussed along with the design decisions and challenges of retrofitting a historic structure that resides on an active fault. While a large portion of the engineering effort was devoted to solving the issue of accommodating surface rupture, another large engineering challenge also dominated the design of the CMS. One of the signature architectural features of the stadium is a two‐story, 375‐ft long press box that hovers above the new west side of the seating bowl. Although designing the press box on limited supports to give the appearance of ‘hovering’ was a challenge, the real challenge came in safely bracing this structure for large potential ground motions at this site. The interface between the flexible support of the press box and the rigid seating bowl became a challenge, solved by providing a separation between the bowl and press box structures allowing them to move independently while linking them only with fluid viscous dampers. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.