Construction, Seismic Safety Design

Title:	Construction, Seismic Safety Design
Publication date:	3/14/2022
Effective date:	1/21/2015

BRIEF

Policy Summary

Berkeley Lab requires design and construction of new buildings and other facilities on Laboratory or University of California premises to comply with current seismic provisions of the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 24, California Building Standards Code, or local seismic requirements, whichever requirements are more stringent.

Who Should Read This Policy

Architects and structural engineers who work for the Design and Construction Management Department of the Facilities Division

To Read the Full Policy, Go To:

The POLICY tab on this wiki page

Contact Information

Structural Engineer
Facilities Division

Title:	Construction, Seismic Safety Design
Publication date:	3/14/2022
Effective date:	1/21/2015

POLICY

A. Purpose

To provide an acceptable level of seismic safety for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) employees and affiliates who occupy buildings and other facilities on Laboratory or University of California premises to the maximum extent feasible by current structural engineering practice

B. Persons Affected

This policy applies to Laboratory project managers and subcontracted architects and structural engineers who work for the Facilities Division or the Projects and Infrastructure Modernization Division.

C. Exceptions

This policy is optional and at the discretion of the Laboratory Facilities Division for buildings that are under the jurisdiction of an outside agency (for example, the State of California Division of the State Architect and small projects that the Laboratory Facilities Division determines do not involve structural work requiring design by a consulting structural engineer.

D. Policy Statement

Code Compliance: Berkeley Lab requires design and construction of capital projects for new buildings and other facilities and major modifications of existing buildings on Laboratory or University of California premises to comply with current seismic provisions of the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 24, California Building Standards Code, or local seismic requirements, whichever requirements are more stringent.
Berkeley Lab Facilities Division Structural Engineer Review
1. Preliminary plans for new major capital improvement projects proposed for construction must be examined by the Berkeley Lab Facilities Division Structural Engineer, who will prepare recommendations regarding any special criteria that should be recognized in providing adequate resistance to seismic forces to minimize the risk of injury to persons and of damage to property.
2. Final plans and structural calculations must be reviewed by the Berkeley Lab Facilities Division Structural Engineer for completeness, general accuracy, structural details, and compliance with any special criteria previously established. Should seismic design standards be revised during the period between completion of final plans and the date of advertisement for bids, the Berkeley Lab Facilities Division Structural Engineer will again review the plans and structural calculations before advertising for bids. The design Structural Engineer of Record will incorporate all comments into the plans prior to bidding.
Independent Seismic Peer Review: An independent seismic peer review shall be conducted on all new major capital improvement projects, whether new building construction or major modification to an existing building, that involve structural design and that are intended for human occupancy or that affect life or safety of the occupants. The LBNL project manager will provide for the selection of the reviewer and plan for the review.
1. Exceptions: Independent seismic peer review is optional and at the discretion of the Laboratory Facilities Division for:
  1. One- and two-story wood-framed buildings of less than 3,000 square feet
  2. Buildings not intended for human occupancy
  3. Small projects that the Laboratory Facilities Division determines do not alter any building lateral force resisting structural systems
New Building Location: New Laboratory buildings must not be constructed on the trace of an active geologic fault.
Approval of Variations from Policy: Unless this policy explicitly and specifically authorizes an action, the action is considered to be a variation from the policy and must be approved in advance by the Laboratory Director.

E. Roles and Responsibilities

Role	Responsibility
Laboratory Project Manager	Retains the services of a structural engineer to perform independent peer reviews of the preliminary and final plans and structural calculations
Design Structural Engineer of Record	Resolves and/or incorporates all comments into the plans and calculations prior to bidding

F. Definitions/Acronyms

Term	Definition
Design Structural Engineer of Record	The Structural Engineer-of-Record for a capital improvement project
Independent Seismic Peer Review	An objective technical review by an independent reviewer to provide independent, knowledgeable review of potential buildings or other facilities prior to Berkeley Lab lease, licensing, or acquisition by purchase or other title transfer; also provides a measure of additional assurance regarding performance and safety of new construction and repair or renovation of existing buildings. The reviewer shall not be an employee of Berkeley Lab.
Major Modifications	Repairs, modifications, and retrofits that exceed the limits set forth in the California Existing Building Code

G. Recordkeeping Requirements

Project documents related to compliance with this policy shall be retained in the project files and archived.

H. Implementing Documents

Document Number	Title	Type
PUB-3193	Capital Projects Procedures Manual	Manual
09.01.003.001	Capital Projects Construction Details and Design Guidelines	Guidelines
	University of California Policy on Seismic Safety	Policy

I. Contact Information