Holmes | UCLA Nimoy Center
Los Angeles, California
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The Crest Theater has been an iconic piece of arts culture in the Westwood community since it was erected in 1940. The structure is comprised of lightly reinforced masonry walls in the longitudinal direction and a combination of reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry walls in the transverse direction. The distinctive marquee, constructed of plaster supported by a steel truss system, was expanded in the 1980’s with the addition of new murals in the 1940’s period style. It was at this point that the theater was designated by the City of Los Angeles as a Historic-Cultural Monument. The theater was purchased by UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance in 2018 and named for the great Leonard Nimoy. Thus with a shift from a movie theater to a performing arts center, the Nimoy Theater was born! As an ASCE-41 building, combined with the need to preserve the 1940’s period construction elements, the performance standards were higher than those for the standard building code. The retrofit improvements included enlarging the lobby to bring it to modern standards, while simultaneously preserving the historic murals gracing the walls – no small feat! The theater features Summerbell roof trusses and wood detailing that proved challenging for the design. Holmes collaborated with all members of the design team to overcome challenges with unexpectedly burnt trusses that had to be worked around, as well as unstable weight bearing on brick where concrete should have been. As the theater was converted from cinema usage to performing arts, lighting equipment was required to be adhered to the beams, requiring reinforced strengthening for the new weight. The theater required an updated lateral system, which provided an opportunity for material manipulation by the design team, and in turn allowed this community gem to shine again! 

Structural Focus | Netflix Egyptian Theatre
Los Angeles, California
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The 1922 Netflix Egyptian Theatre is one of the most significant landmarks of Hollywood and cinema history as well as an exemplary Egyptian Revival building. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument. Purchase by Netflix in 2020 and a partnership with the American Cinematheque resulted in a rehabilitation, seismic retrofit, and mitigation of water intrusion issues to protect the building and its use for its second century. The project team of Studio 440, Structural Focus, Historic Resources Group, Syska, The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, and others designed a rehabilitation to modernize the reinforced concrete Theatre’s cinematic experience and a seismic retrofit to comply with the City of Los Angeles’ Non-Ductile Concrete Seismic Retrofit Ordinance. The rehabilitation required structural strengthening of various elements for new rooftop  mechanical equipment and new interior audio-visual equipment, in addition to a new steel stair extension up to the fly loft and new steel catwalk. It was discovered during construction that the gravity support of the stage roof and organ loft had been compromised during undocumented previous alterations, requiring the addition of a new, long span concrete beam over the proscenium with concrete column enlargements at each end. Tenant improvements were made to the Theatre requiring a new structurally independent elevated lobby platform to support concessions and a control booth over a new mechanical basement, and a new rooftop projection booth. The Theatre’s seismic retrofit consisted of a comprehensive material testing and condition assessment program, concrete columns strengthening with fiber reinforced polymer, roof diaphragm strengthening with fiber reinforced polymer and new concrete drag beams, new shotcrete shear walls infilling the concrete frame, new foundation enlargements, removal of hollow clay tile walls, new lateral bracing of historic plaster painted ceilings and walls, and repairs of damaged/deteriorated concrete.

John A. Martin & Associates | Japanese Heritage Shoya House
San Marino, California
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The Japanese Heritage Shoya House project involved relocating an approximately 320-year-old structure from Marugame, Japan to its new home at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. The 3,000-square-foot structure features mortise and tenon carpentry and elements made from natural wood trunks and branches. Structural engineer John A. Martin worked with architect M. Okamoto, preservationists from the Huntington, and Japanese craftsmen to discreetly introduce new wood shear walls, hold-downs, and foundations throughout the structure, all while maintaining cultural and architectural integrity. Throughout its history, the Japanese Heritage Shoya House served as a centerpiece of its community. In its initial role as a magistrate’s home, the structure functioned much like a combined town hall and village square. When it was donated by Los Angeles-area residents to the Huntington, the project transplanted that sense of community through preserved Japanese culture and heritage and is fostering a new community as generations of visitors will have insights into Japanese culture and history, as well as traditional architectural, agricultural, and sustainability practices. Since structural or architectural drawings were not available for the structure, a generic floor plan was provided to help schematically lay out the new shear walls. Discussions with the City of San Marino from the outset facilitated a live load design of 100psf and seismic forces from ASCE 7-16. Due to the house using a 1m grid, many shear walls were less than the standard four-foot the code typically allows, and agreement was reached with the City on the appropriate reduction factors. The City also mandated that all shear wall elements be of US material, while the gravity system could be Japanese material. All new elements were seamlessly integrated to maintain original aesthetics while offering public occupancy within Southern California’s current building code parameters.

Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | The Lane Building
Los Angeles, California
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The historic Lane Building in downtown Los Angeles is a twelve-story, non-ductile concrete structure originally constructed in the early 1920s. Situated at 8th and Spring Streets and adjacent to the historic Tower Theater, the Lane Building is an excellent example of the Beaux Arts Classicism architectural style. Following several significant earthquakes, the City of Los Angeles adopted the Mandatory Earthquake Hazard Reduction in Existing Non-Ductile Concrete Buildings Ordinance No. 183893 in 2015. The Lane Building represents one of the first adaptive reuse and seismic retrofit projects of a historic building under the Ordinance. As the structural engineer of record for the project, SGH sought to cost-effectively strengthen the Lane Building while preserving the historic character and architectural function of the space. We achieved this goal by performing a nonlinear structural analysis and retrofit design following ASCE 41-13. The seismic retrofit involved shotcrete strengthening to existing shear walls, new concrete shear walls, a new concrete moment frame, and foundation strengthening. SGH worked closely with the owner, design team, peer reviewer, and City throughout the process to achieve success. Today, the Lane Building’s interior has been thoughtfully repurposed from office space into 110 short-term rental units with a ground-floor restaurant and retail offerings. The exterior facade and interior lobby maintain the historic character of its original 1920s construction, transporting guests back in time while offering modern amenities. The Lane sits adjacent to the historic Tower Theater, another 1920s structure SGH helped preserve and repurpose beyond its original life—the award-winning project transformed the theater into an Apple Flagship Store. As time progresses, and as Los Angeles grows and changes, preserving and repurposing buildings of the past serves an important role in maintaining the fabric of the community, and SGH is proud to be an integral participant in this transformation.

Stantec | San Fernando Groundwater Basin Remediation Program
Los Angeles, California
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The San Fernando Groundwater Treatment Project is a $500 million new infrastructure sustainability project that will recover 75 million gallons a day of contaminated water from the San Fernando Valley Groundwater Basin (SFB) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, to support the City’s water supply. The project encompasses the construction of two sites of treatment facilities at North Hollywood and Tujunga deploying activated carbon and UV advanced oxidation processes, among others, to remove existing industrial contaminants that date back to the 1940s and will provide a critical, local source of clean drinking water for the Los Angeles region. The projects advance two key goals of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Green New Deal—significantly reducing the purchase of imported water by 2025 and producing 71% of LA's water supply locally by 2035. Once fully restored, the SFB will be an aquifer that can provide drinking water to more than 800,000 Angelenos. This was a progressive design-build project and was delivered effectively on a tight schedule complicated by COVID restrictions. Alongside Kiewit (Contractor), Stantec provided process, civil, mechanical, structural, architectural, landscape architecture, and instrumentation & control engineering design services for this LADWP project. The structural design scope of work for this project includes: two wide open high bay concentric braced frame structural steel buildings with 12-ton bridge cranes, two steel concentric braced frame peroxide tank storage facilities, three reinforced concrete shear wall chemical buildings, and large bathtub mat foundation structures supporting dozens of over 100-ton steel vessels/tanks. The structural supports were provided for large diameter piping above and below grade, and mechanical/electrical equipment. The structural designs conform to standard building codes and reference standards (CBC, ACI 318 & ASCE7), and also non-building structure and hydraulic structure reference standards (ACI350, ACI350.3 & AWWA D100). As SEOR, Stantec also successfully provided engineering services during construction to meet the fast-track design/build schedule and budget.

T&S Structural | Grid Shell Roof Residence
Cayucos, California
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The undulating roof was created by overlapping, composite wood material to create the grid members. The perimeter steel beam acts as a tension ring to support the gravity loading. At the same time, it serves as the main lateral force-resisting system for the entire structure housed beneath it. Key team members include Randy Davidson, P.E. and Brian Dean P.E., S.E.

Arup | Delta Sky Way at LAX
Los Angeles, California
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The Delta Sky Way Project at LAX Airport includes the consolidation and modernization of Terminals 2 and 3 and comprises 680,000 sqft of new and retrofitted construction. All existing Terminal 3 buildings except the 1958 Satellite building were demolished and rebuilt completely new to create an enhanced customer journey from curb to gate, including more automated security lanes, increased gate seating area and state of the art concession areas. The added TBIT connector closes the gap between Terminal 3 and the international terminal providing a final link on the airside eliminating the need for passenger bus transportation between terminals. The T3 Satellite building structure was seismically retrofitted and expanded to meet current airport standards. This reduced the embodied carbon of this portion significantly compared to new construction. All Terminal 2 buildings were retrofitted selectively to meet the requirements of the existing building code and fit with Delta’s brand at LAX. Arup delivered 30+ multidisciplinary phases, including 8 major structural building permit packages and 10 structural enabling packages to keep Delta Airlines operational during construction. The reduction in traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, allowed Arup, Delta, and the project team to pivot to accelerated construction phasing. The acceleration required agile re-design of several areas and allowed work to complete 18 months ahead of schedule. Arup was the structural engineer or record and the prime consultant for our client Delta Airlines. Gensler joined the Arup team providing architectural services and Hensel Phelps was the General Contractor. Saiful Bouquet worked with Arup’s structural team as our DBE partner with particular focus on the Terminal 3 concourse and satellite retrofit.

Structural Focus | Laserfiche
Long Beach, California
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When Laserfiche needed a new headquarters, they knew they wanted to stay in their hometown of Long Beach. In fact, they found a new site just a few doors down Long Beach Boulevard. Laserfiche enlisted acclaimed architecture firm Studio One Eleven (Studio 111) to design a bold and sophisticated building that also fits within the context of streamlined Long Beach architecture. Studio One Eleven in turn brought on a trusted structural engineering partner, Structural Focus, to design a structure to support their intrepid vision. With cantilevered floors at both ends and balconies loaded with seating and heavy planters, engineering the steel building required careful modeling and analysis to generate precise and predictable behavior. Cantilevers are supported using exposed steel tube gravity braces, and strategically placed and sized reduced beam section moment frames form a lateral system that allows creative office layouts and long bands of tall, repeating windows at the perimeter. Construction specifications were set such that cantilevered floors would maintain final deflections at a virtually undetectable minimum. Ultimately, Structural Focus devised an efficient, no-nonsense steel structure that was erected quickly, and permitted the architect to express the building’s iconic, horizontally oriented street-scale language that adds to the burgeoning architectural spirit of a revitalized Long Beach.

John A. Martin & Associates | William and Linda Frost Center for Research and Innovation
San Luis Obispo, California
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Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s William and Linda Frost Center for Research and Innovation is a physical manifestation of the University’s motto, “Learn by Doing.” Through a collaborative design process that facilitated real-time ideation on architectural and engineering issues, the new 126,000-square-foot interdisciplinary research center places undergraduates at the center of real-world research. The project team of architect ZGF, structural engineer John A. Martin & Associates, contractor Gilbane, concrete subcontractor Largo, and MEP Engineer AEI collaborated to deliver a highly flexible, visually and physically open teaching and learning center. As a state-of-the-art facility, a primary goal was to facilitate interaction and experiences between three colleges of study, the College of Science and Mathematics; the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences; and the College of Liberal Arts. To address the distinct and wide-ranging programmatic needs, the team designed systems and support for 22 laboratories, 46 faculty offices, and three separate conference centers. Situated within Cal Poly’s central campus, the 2.32-acre complex consists of multiple, canted towers placed along a hillside. Providing a structural grid that responds to seismic forces at various heights and points, and works in nonorthogonal orientations was a significant challenge. Added to this was the infrastructure coordination for configurable classrooms, hands-on learning programs, and innovative laboratory spaces. Architectural aesthetic desires also posed challenges as well as areas for collaboration. Full-height windows along most exterior facades that flood interior spaces with natural light meant limited options for exterior structural elements. The large, column-free central atrium was achieved using cantilevered tapered beams. Concrete was agreed upon as the primary structural system and part of the architectural styling. Cast-in-place walls, tapered beams, and slab soffits were all left exposed to showcase the material, contributing to the architectural expression of the building.

Miyamoto International | HEIMAT Los Angeles 960 N. La Brea
Los Angeles, California
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The 960 N. La Brea office building is a five-story concrete building that was originally built in 1928. This project converted the existing building into a high-end fitness spa with a new pool at the lower roof level and a new amenity deck on the roof of the existing parking structure, resulting in the flagship store for HEIMAT in the U.S. The building was voluntarily retrofitted in 2013 with new interior concrete shear walls, including multiple alterations and additions done previously. However, to ensure the conversion could be done without further intervention in the structural system, Miyamoto engineers, Deepansh Kathuria, Philip Yu, Amir Gilani and James Chen, performed a feasibility study, including a material testing program and structural as-built exploration. Our resulting structural design utilizes the full strength and capacity of the existing structure with minimal intervention, accomplished by the careful positioning of new loads and by using different materials and technologies.

Miyamoto International | Greek Theatre Terrace Seating Full Renovation
Los Angeles, California
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The Greek Theatre, an iconic outdoor concert, performance and events venue in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park, turned 90 in 2020. First opened in 1930, this historic theater features a Greek-style outdoor stage, open-air audience seating and a subterranean parking level. Over the decades, the facility has evolved and expanded numerous times without the basic structure being significantly altered. Due to COVID-19, however, the venue was not able to open its doors to celebrate its 90th anniversary. Nevertheless, this temporary pause turned out to be an excellent opportunity to dedicate the year to a much-needed seismic retrofit to the theater’s elevated seating terraces. The L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks engaged Miyamoto International to develop an economical, minimally intrusive solution that would ensure their continued safe use in the near future. After dynamic modeling of the terraces revealed serious shortcomings in their behavior under lateral load, Miyamoto engineers prepared a design, consisting of buckling-restrained braces, drag struts and grade beams, that vastly improved seismic performance without affecting pedestrian circulation and functions underneath the terraces.

Miyamoto International | Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center
Inglewood, California
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The Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center is the product of Gehry Partners and Miyamoto International’s work to transform a mid-century bank building into the first permanent, purpose-built facility for the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), a program that brings classical music education to children in low-income communities. The Center provides learning and teaching opportunities to aspiring musicians and educators in a space designed to showcase the structure’s openness, with its 45-foot-ceiling performance hall and movable acoustic wall that can divide rooms, and to recall the structure’s past—its glassy exterior echoes the bank’s boxy silhouette, and the original structure’s street-facing columns add a sense of understatement and symmetry. The main space accommodates a sitting audience of 190, while in its surroundings, a series of smaller rooms provide additional community services, such as individual practice studios, a family lounge and the YOLA music library. Miyamoto prepared a structural design based on the ASCE Standard 41-13 that extended the basement, added an interstitial second floor and raised the roof while making full use of the existing structure. The overall design implemented much-needed seismic retrofits and made modifications that would meet the necessities of YOLA, both in equipment and acoustical requirements, while integrating seamlessly to the architectural design and maintaining as much of the bank’s mid-century character intact.

Structural Focus | Huntington Library Rose Garden Tea Room Renovation
San Marino, California
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The Huntington Library Rose Garden Tea Room retrofit and alteration project involved a retrofit of the existing historical tea house, along with several new additions to allow for greater guest capacity. The existing 1911 concrete structure, originally designed as a billiards room and bowling alley for the Huntington family, had since been used as a tearoom and café for staff. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tearoom was closed, and the Huntington Library initiated the renovation of the structure for future guest services. The existing concrete structure was retrofitted using several different techniques, to increase its seismic resistance, including adding new shotcrete to stabilize existing hollow clay tile and strengthen the overall thin existing concrete walls. The deteriorated suspended floor slab of the original bowling alley was replaced by a new slab on grade. At the same time, several new rooms were added with their own new gravity and lateral force resisting (seismic) systems. An addition to the kitchen to the north utilized new cold formed steel (metal stud) construction and was connected directly back to the existing concrete structure. The new Herb Room addition was added on the west side and was constructed of new concrete walls, some of which acted as wing walls to better stabilize the existing tearoom walls. Lastly, a new lobby and the new outdoor Shakespeare Pavilion were added on the east side of the building including an Architecturally Exposed Steel moment frame trellis, with major skylights for an al fresco dining experience.

IDS Group | Seismic Retrofit and Code Upgrade of the Library Tower Building
Whittier, California
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The main objective of this project was to develop construction documents that address the seismic deficiencies of the existing 5 story library building at Rio Honda College. Built in 1964, the Structure consists of non-ductile concrete frames with unique exterior wall appendages that cause stiffness irregularities along the height of the building. The total area of the building is approximately 54,000 square feet. The structure is considered as “Essential Facilities”, and the design aimed at meeting ASCE-41 Continuous Operation performance level under design basis earthquake. IDS performed Tier-3 detailed seismic analysis using linear and nonlinear dynamic analysis (LDP and NDP) to assess elements capacities including the existing beams, columns, diaphragm, and footings. Innovative new external steel framing using Buckling Restrained Brace Frames (BRBF) was designed to enhance the seismic strength. Furthermore, the use of BRBF system versus conventional steel bracing systems minimized considerably the need for foundation strengthening. In addition, existing exterior concrete frame members were strengthened by adding Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) System. A compatible prequalified exterior moment frame with reduced flanges at beam joints was used to stabilize the exterior east stair core. The Combination of the three retrofit measures were deemed compatible as evident of the much-improved non-linear dynamic behavior of the building. The construction documents were approved by DSA (Division of State Architect) and the Construction was completed in 2022, although additional Tenant improvements were completed in 2023- Cost of Construction, including seismic upgrade and tenant improvements, is valued at $32 M.

John A. Martin & Associates | Lumen West LA
Los Angeles, California
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Originally constructed in the 1980’s, Lumen West LA is the renovation of a 300,000-square-foot Class A office space complex comprised of a pair of independent towers above 2 levels of subgrade parking. The existing structure consisted of concrete over metal deck flooring supported on steel-wide flange beams spanning to steel- wide flange columns. Renovation into a light-infused workplace focused on enhanced health, wellness, and collaboration not only aesthetically changed the exterior cladding from concrete panels to full-height glass, but added 115,000 square feet of new space. Corners of floorplates at all elevated floors were extended, and new sky bridges at alternating floor levels connected the two towers. The addition of a new penthouse story on top of each tower overhauled mechanical systems and a new outdoor landscaped grand stair connected a remodeled one-acre recreation deck to street level. The structural engineering team of John A. Martin & Associates worked hand in hand with contractor Hathaway Dinwiddie to deliver the architectural vision of Gensler, overcoming significant seismic and construction challenges to meet the required performance criteria without compromising the architectural intent. Specifically, that included delivering a full seismic retrofit due to the added area and mass of the structure and the connection of the two towers but using only interior means. The team used ASCE 41 Tier 3 linear dynamic procedures to evaluate and design the retrofit, becoming the first high-rise steel moment frame building to be seismically retrofitted using ASCE 41 in the City of Los Angeles. Rather than adding braces or dampers that would disrupt the perimeter glazing, the retrofit focused on strengthening the existing moment frame connections using a combination of bottom haunches and improved WUF-welded web connections to improve ductility. It also included devising creative implementation systems to add multi-story drilled pile foundations within limited construction space.

Labib Funk + Associates | Pendry Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California
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The 20-story Fashion Island hotel, immediately recognizable by its stepped, post-modern exterior, has been an iconic attraction for the Newport Beach and broader SoCal community since its opening in 1986. However, at the height of the pandemic in 2020, the hotel closed its doors, seizing the opportunity to redefine its offerings and set a new benchmark for luxury in a post-pandemic world. Working together with Montage International and Eagle Four Partners, WATG, Tynan Group, and C.W. Driver Special Project Group, Labib Funk + Associates (LFA) was enlisted to implement a variety structural modifications and upgrades to enhance the functionality and aesthetics of the building. Scope items included a façade renovation as well as the addition of multiple amenities, including a new membership club, pre-function coffee shop and wine bar at the lobby, pool bar and restrooms, and a children’s club, “Pinwheel,” at Level 2. Further, the project relocated the fitness center, and renovated the existing Oak Grill restaurant. Throughout the transformation, LFA faced and overcame several engineering challenges. Converting second-floor spaces into a fitness center and children's club required reinforcing existing slabs with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) to handle additional loads. The team also retrofitted structural columns with FRP to meet safety standards. To address facade deterioration, LFA repaired concrete joints and validated an old window davit system, ensuring it could support substantial loads safely. LFA also confirmed code compliance for window maintenance, avoiding the need for new systems and scaffolding, which cut 2-3 months from the schedule and saved about $1M. Following upgrades worth $80M, Fashion Island re-emerged as Pendry Newport Beach, offering 295 guest rooms and a reimagined guest experience. This comprehensive renovation exemplified more than technical prowess; it was a harmonious blend of innovation, efficiency, and sustainability, all while preserving the aesthetic allure that echoes Southern California lifestyle.