Located just two blocks from the State Capitol in downtown Sacramento lies the 17-story State of California Resources Building. According to previous structural evaluations, the building needed a complete retrofit because the seismic performance requirements for state-owned buildings was not being met. Likely designed to the 1958 UBC and built in 1962, the building employs steel truss moment frames as the lateral force resisting system in each direction. Dampers became the choice retrofit option for the project by helping to reduce seismic drifts below 0.6%, keeping the steel truss moment frame connections elastic under BSE-2E earthquake demands.

The renovation of this building includes much more than seismic upgrades alone.  Potentially hazardous materials were removed from the building and the façade was completely removed to further improve the seismic performance and modernize the building’s appearance. All HVAC systems are being replaced and modern egress requirements are being met with new stair systems. Once complete, this renovation will bring the building to the forefront of desirable work spaces owned by the State of California, leading the State to adopt the project slogan “from worst to first.”  The renovated building will likely achieve LEED Silver certification.