Campus to undergo seismic renovation

The University of California seismic policy has deemed 14 buildings on the UCLA campus to be in poor seismic condition, including the Center for the Health Sciences, the Darling Biomedical Library and Hershey Hall.

In response, UCLA is expected to complete $919 million in seismic renovations, which will largely be funded by the state, to these and other buildings by 2019.

Since the 1980s, UCLA has retrofitted numerous campus buildings, including all of those with a “Very Poor” rating, according to the University of California seismic policy. Thirty-six structures have already been renovated and eight buildings are currently being worked on, according to a financial report from Capital Programs, which is responsible for construction on campus.

Buildings that require repairs are generally considered a collapse risk, or would be unusable after an earthquake, said Jonathan Stewart, a professor and vice chair of the civil and environmental engineering department at UCLA.

The 14 buildings that will be renovated are deemed “Poor” by university standards and therefore will not collapse. However, they could have structural damage and falling hazards in an earthquake.

“Seismically deficient buildings are not in conformance with university policy, which is to get a “˜Good’ or “˜Fair’ standard,” said Steve Olsen, vice chancellor of financial affairs. “We want to bring the buildings to a standard where we have confidence that these buildings will perform and protect people who are inside of it during an earthquake.”

To make these structures less hazardous, UCLA will address problems with wall strength, weak columns and a lack of sufficient connections in the steel framing.

While some seismic renovations can be done with occupants in the buildings, others will require removal of all students and faculty.

As an alternative, additional buildings will be constructed, including a $267 million Medical Education and Biomedical Library that will replace the Darling Biomedical Library,

However, as there will be a new building in its place, it is still undecided what will be done with the Darling Biomedical Library once it is renovated, Olsen said.

Although the UC Board of Regents approved a Student Seismic Fee in 1992 to fund seismic renovations in Ackerman Union and Kerckhoff Hall, retrofitting done in the next ten years will not be funded by students, as student fees can only be levied for student facilities, Olsen said.

Money for the retrofitting will be funded by a combination of state and non-state sources, which include external financing, anticipated gift funds, campus funds and capital reserves, according to the financial report.

Of the expected $919 million that will be used, the majority will be paid for by state funds, Olsen said.

While the state is funding the renovations, the recent California budget crisis has made it difficult for the state to fund many of the projects. However, UCLA has been developing a proposal with the California Department of Finance that will be presented to the state legislature, which will allow for high-priority UC projects to be funded next year.

“The principle challenge we face is obtaining state funding,” Olsen said.

In light of recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, Mexico and China, as well as an expected large earthquake in California in the next 30 years, the renovations are a time-sensitive issue.

“You are basically trying to get the retrofit done before the quake comes,” Stewart said.

In spite of state funding problems, all renovations are still expected to be completed by 2019.

“The time frame is still realistic as long as the state of California is in a position to provide funding that will allow us to keep on that schedule,” Olsen said.

At present, the Center for the Health Sciences retrofit requires the highest priority and most funding; 11 of the 14 buildings needing renovations are located in that area.