flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Restoration of quake-ravaged Atascadero City Hall affirms city’s strength [2014 Reconstruction Awards]

Restoration of quake-ravaged Atascadero City Hall affirms city’s strength [2014 Reconstruction Awards]

The landmark city hall was severely damaged by the San Simeon earthquake in 2003.


By Julie S. Higginbotham | August 25, 2014
Atascadero City Hall was severely damaged by the San Simeon earthquake in 2003.
Atascadero City Hall was severely damaged by the San Simeon earthquake in 2003. Reconstruction renewed the buildings stability,

Upon its completion in 1918, the building that is now the Atascadero (Calif.) City Hall was the very picture of stability. Intended as the centerpiece of Atascadero Colony—a planned utopian community—the Italian Renaissance structure featured a cruciform plan, with ornate central rotundas on the first and fourth floors.

Though the idealized colony never really jelled, the area did thrive, and the building passed through several commercial uses before the County of San Luis Obispo acquired it in 1950. When the city of Atascadero was incorporated 29 years later, the county handed the building over for city offices. The hall, with its grand pillared entrances and red-tiled dome, is featured on the city seal and listed on both the National and California Registers of Historic Places.

In December 2003, the 6.5 magnitude San Simeon earthquake ravaged Atascadero. As city workers dove for cover, the upper rotunda was twisted and wrenched away from its structural moorings. Interior walls and exterior masonry were extensively damaged, and the building was ultimately red-tagged. However, city officials were determined to restore, and improve, the beloved landmark.

Pfeiffer Partners Architects undertook a two-year assessment, including a laser-scan analysis as well as painstaking physical investigations and measurements. The Atascadero Historical Society, an enthusiastic collaborator, provided invaluable documentation of original conditions. Three packages of work were eventually developed: demolition, FEMA-funded damage repair and hazard mitigation, and city-funded rehabilitation. 

PLATINUM AWARD

ATASCADERO CITY HALL
Atascadero, Calif.

Building Team
Submitting firm: Bernards (construction manager)
Owner: City of Atascadero
Architect: Pfeiffer Partners Architects
Structural engineer: Nabih Youssef Associates
MEP engineer: Davidovich & Associates
General contractor: Diani Building Corp.

General Information
Size: 58,900 sf
Construction cost: $21.7 million
Construction time: June 2010 to September 2013
Delivery method: CM agency/multi-prime

The 2008 economic crash posed financial difficulties, and anticipated state funding was eliminated in the subsequent recession. Meanwhile, water infiltration caused additional damage despite the owner’s best efforts to keep rain out. Under the management of Bernards, construction finally began in 2010, nearly seven years after the quake occurred. 

Stabilizing the structure was obviously the most pressing need. The original building consisted of cast-in-place reinforced concrete floors and unreinforced masonry infill walls between a structural steel, concrete-encased post-and-beam skeleton. Above the fourth floor, the building was essentially an unreinforced masonry structure. 

Crews strengthened the existing foundation by drilling 248 micro-piles 80 feet deep into bedrock, and pouring pile caps below the foundation. A new structural concrete slab-on-grade was installed at the basement level. Interior perimeter walls up to the fourth floor were stripped to reveal the structure, which was reinforced with more than a million tons of shotcrete and 80,000 pounds of rebar—in essence, creating a building within a building. 

To fix the upper floors and dome, crews removed most of the exterior cladding, then rebuilt with additional steel and fiber-reinforced polymer instead of shotcrete, which would have been too heavy. Existing steel was horizontally and vertically braced, and roof dome framing members were retrofitted. 

When structural improvements were complete, crews used as much of the original masonry as possible to rebuild the walls and roof. In the heavily damaged upper section, about 15% of the roof tiles and 80% of the bricks had to be replaced with color-matched materials. When possible, original tiles, fascia balustrades, and decorative plaster were repaired, cleaned, and returned to their original spots.

 


The lower rotunda benefited from a new paint scheme inspired by the greens and browns of the California landscape; the painter, a local artisan, donated half of his change-order hours back to the city. Second-floor window overlooks, once blocked, were uncovered and restored, providing views into the space from surrounding office zones. Light boxes behind frosted lunettes give the illusion of natural daylight. In reality, this dome is internal and is topped by a second rotunda housing the City Council chambers.

 

IMPROVING INTERIOR DESIGN

Interior reconfiguration was also crucial to improving functionality. Over the years, alterations had resulted in a confusing layout and awkwardly shaped spaces, as well as problematic ventilation. Crews removed most of the interior partitions and built new walls to establish a more sensible floor plan. Efficient HVAC and communications infrastructure was installed.

The lower rotunda was programmed as lobby space and a permit center. Three floors of offices surround this focal point. City Council chambers were constructed in the domed upper rotunda, which once held a library. A small historical museum received a place of honor, reinforcing the building’s link with the town.

More than 90% of construction dollars went to firms on the Central Coast, including $5.5 million to local glass, concrete, and masonry contractors. The final construction cost was $3.3 million less than the original $25 million estimate. Bernards credits the multi-prime contract process, encompassing 17 separately bid categories, for the savings. City Hall opened on schedule in August 2013, just in time for Atascadero’s centennial—an embodiment of civic resilience, determination, and pride.

 


Elegant detailing, a hallmark of the Italian Renaissance style, was re-established in the post-earthquake reconstruction.

Related Stories

| Dec 20, 2013

Can energy hogs still be considered efficient buildings? Yes, say engineers at Buro Happold

A new tool from the engineering firm Buro Happold takes into account both energy and economic performance of buildings for a true measure of efficiency. 

| Dec 18, 2013

How small architectural firms can make big money

What separates the great-but-struggling designers from the great-successful ones isn't luck. If you're as good an architect as you think, it will take more than your awesome design skills to become successful. Learn how to manage your firm’s finances and go from floundering to flourishing.

| Dec 18, 2013

Eskew + Dumez + Ripple receives AIA's 2014 Architecture Firm Award

 The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Board of Directors has voted for Eskew + Dumez + Ripple to receive the 2014 AIA Architecture Firm Award. The firm will be honored at the 2014 AIA National Convention in Chicago. The Board also voted to posthumously honor Julia Morgan, FAIA, with its 214 Gold Medal.

| Dec 18, 2013

Architecture Billings Index takes step back in November

After six months of steadily increasing demand for design services, the Architecture Billings Index paused in November, dipping below 50 for just the second time in 2013. 

| Dec 17, 2013

Kahn appoints Alan Cobb President and CEO

Cobb is the tenth president in the firm’s 118-year history. As President, Cobb is responsible for ensuring that all of the firm’s client issues are effectively address and that overall project team performance meets or exceeds client expectations for each and job the firm undertakes.

| Dec 17, 2013

CBRE's Chris Bodnar and Lee Asher named Healthcare Real Estate Executives of the Year

CBRE Group, Inc. announced today that two of its senior executives, Chris Bodnar and Lee Asher, have been named Healthcare Real Estate Executives of the Year by Healthcare Real Estate Insights.

| Dec 16, 2013

Is the metal building industry in a technology shift?

Automation is the future you can’t avoid, though you may try. Even within the metal building industry—which is made up of skilled tradesmen—automation has revolutionized, and will continue revolutionizing, how we work.

| Dec 16, 2013

Why employees don’t trust their leaders

Trust, one of the key elements to productive business relationships, is in short supply these days. An Associated Press-GfK poll discovered that only one-third of Americans say most people can be trusted and nearly two-thirds says “you can’t be too careful” in dealing with people.

| Dec 16, 2013

Construction materials prices remain stable in November

Overall, construction materials prices fell 0.5 percent in November and are up only 1.1 percent year over year, according to the Department of Labor’s Dec. 13 Producer Price Index.

| Dec 16, 2013

Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, inaugurated 2014 AIA President

Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, executive director of the Virginia Center for Architecture, was inaugurated as the 90th president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during ceremonies held on December 12th at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.  She succeeds Mickey Jacob, FAIA, in representing nearly 83,000 AIA members.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Museums

The Tampa Museum of Art will soon undergo a $110 million expansion

In Tampa, Fla., the Tampa Museum of Art will soon undergo a 77,904-sf Centennial Expansion project. The museum plans to reach its $110 million fundraising goal by late 2024 or early 2025 and then break ground. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi, and with construction manager The Beck Group, the expansion will redefine the museum’s surrounding site.



Reconstruction & Renovation

Movement to protect historic buildings raises sharp criticism

While the movement to preserve historic buildings has widespread support, it also has some sharp critics with well-funded opposition groups springing up in recent years. Some opponents are linked to the Stand Together Foundation, founded and bankrolled by the Koch family’s conservative philanthropic organization, according to a column in Governing magazine.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021