Gladstone Laboratory

A new six-story steel-frame laboratory building. TME designed the foundations and the roof as a consultant to Rutherford & Chekene.

The building is founded on precast prestressed driven piles. Shallow grade beams were employed to reduce excavation and disposal of contaminated soil. The building’s lateral system is a buckling restrained steel braced frame. The foundations were designed for two seismic levels with only moderate damage allowed for the upper level earthquake. A methane extraction system designed by the geotechnical engineer was incorporated into the foundation design. In addition to the in site methane, the Mission Bay site also has a high water table, which necessitated detailing to accommodate the waterproofing. Roof framing was complicated by the large amount of roof-mounted equipment and screening.