Office building in California

Wilshire Grand (California) by Fredchang931124, License CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)

John Hopkins University – United States

Building use

Office building

Country/Region

All Regions

Overview

Concrete core and a frame with 3 levels of buckle-resistance bracing for seismic design were adopted to provide safety against earthquake in a seismically active zone, as well as fire and other structural hazards.

Basic information (construction date, number of stories, gross floor area, adopted design code, engineer(s), Contractor(s), etc.)

Construction date: 2017
Number of stories: 62
Gross floor area: 85,000m2
Adopted design code: Los Angeles City Building Code; NFPA 20
Engineer(s): Thornton Tomasetti, Brandow & Johnston
Contractor(s): Turner Construction

Issue and/or innovation

This building is innovative by its usage of composite concrete and steel structural elements, featuring a concrete core and a structural steel and glass exterior. The floor features a concrete and metal deck floor framing, with structural steel beams and girders. Prior to the work on the vertical concrete core, a strong foundation was key to the structural integrity of Wilshire Grand. This was achieved with a 18.5 hour-long pour of concrete, breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous foundation concrete pour.

Reason for composite solution

To provide safety against earthquake in a seismically active zone, as well as fire and other structural hazards.

Specific solution/technical details

Composite building with concrete core (for fire protection and stability in seismic events) and a structural steel exterior. Perimeter building columns are composite steel box columns filled with structural concrete.

Impact or effectiveness

Tallest building in the Western United States. The strength of the core allows for smaller columns in the interior, without sacrificing earthquake protection standards.

References / Technical Papers Content

https://www.thorntontomasetti.com/project/wilshire-grand-center
https://www.turnerconstruction.com/projects/wilshire-grand-center
https://www.bjsce.com/wilshire-grand-center

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