How do you make an historic Union Square office building safe for a new generation of tenants?
How do you make an historic Union Square office building safe for a new generation of tenants?

201 Post Street Seismic Rehabilitation

Forell/Elsesser provided structural engineering services for the seismic upgrade of this 1908, 97,000 s.f. 13-story building.
 
Customized Solution
  • Forell | Elsesser provided structural engineering services for the seismic upgrade of this 1908, 97,000 s.f. 13-story building.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 201 Post Street is a steel-framed, brick infill with a historic terra cotta facade.
  • The retrofit scheme is a combination of ductile concrete moment frames and shotcrete shear walls.  The basement utilizes a system of outrigger walls and a spread footing that is being transformed into a mat slab to distribute load for even settlement.  Other structural work includes a steel-framed parapet brace, window washing rail support, mechanical platforms, and exterior fire escape stairwell. The building houses offices on the upper floors and retail at the street level. The building also has a basement level that extends beneath the sidewalk.
  • Ultimately a combination of the concrete shear wall at the “back” wall next to the adjacent property, and concrete moment frames on the remaining 3 sides were used.   Upturned concrete beams above the floors were used for ease of construction, which made the rebar placement a lot easier compared to conventional frames. During the retrofitting process, the brick facade was anchored to the new concrete wall and frames.
CATEGORIES

Developer/Commercial/Corporate, Historic Renovation


HIGHLIGHTS
  • Architect: BAR Architects
  • Owner: Trinity Properties
  • Steel framed, brick infill with a historic terra cotta façade with addition of ductile concrete moment frames and shotcrete shear walls

TEAM