Notes

PROJECT 8: FORENSIC ANALYSIS

The project sponsor has provided the following information in relation to the questions that are listed at the bottom:

Failure Information

The building was constructed in the early 1970s and over the next 8000 days the building settled between 1.5 and 3.0 ft. The structure that failed was a light, 1 story, steel framed structure with concrete block walls that was supported on shallow foundations. Failure occurred due to geotechnical settlement issues, not due to earthquake or other natural disaster induced loading.

The location of the failure is here:

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7468281,-122.2090052,585m/data=!3m1!1e3 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

The building that failed has been torn down and a small building has been put in the location. The footprint of the original building (160 ft x 320 ft) is still evidenced by the light gray concrete pad that expands beyond the current temporary structure.

The work must address the following:

Review of past land use at site
Assessment of stratigraphy at the site
Prediction of settlement and comparison with measured performance (to be provided later in project and predictions are performed)
Geotechnical recommendations (placement fill and/or foundation recommendations related to capacity and settlement, not structural) for design of new two-story building at site (first floor will high-bay for truck maintenance, second floor will be offices; column loads to be provided at later date)
The proposal must include:

Plan detailing how past land information will be gathered
Proposed field and laboratory investigation, including number and types of tests to be performed, necessary to develop site stratigraphy (fence diagram) and determine soil properties
Description of analysis to be performed to compute settlement
Types of recommendations that will be provided regarding fill placement and foundation design
The work will be performed in standard units. Excel analysis is required, no packaged software needed. There are no code requirements.

Project 8 Submitted questions

How old was the building? When was the structure built, and when did it fail?
What is the address and/or parcel number of the building?
What are the budget constraints on design?
Is the forensic study aspect of the project only focused on the specific site with the failure or should the design be applicable to any location within Oakland with similar geographic deposit
The project title included redesign. Is the target of the purpose to start with the analyzation of raw sample data or a revisit and review of prior analysis done on the specific site? If redesign, what type of analysis is expected? Natural Disaster?
In the one-page project description it is not clear whether we are expected to redesign the whole building or “develop preliminary foundation design solutions.” Could you clarify the scope of the project?
DHA/PHA? Foundation? Structural?
When will the data for and location of project be made available?
According to 2 b of Project Tasks, can you expand on the meaning of “representative engineering parameter”?
Should we use SI or english units.
The RFP mention blind prediction with comparison. Are we expect to do any sort of lab test or simulation for comparison?
When analyzing the failure of building, should analysis done on both the structure and the ground?
What is the intended primary use for the new structure?
Is there a water body within a close proximity?
The proposal states a shallow foundation was used, does this imply the building was built on 'spread footings,' included pads ('isolated footings'), strip footings and rafts? If so, please state which type of foundation was used.
Should earthquake.usgs.gov, eeri.org, or ncedc.org be used for in-situ site investigation data, consolidation analysis and comparison with measured settlement? If none of the above, please state which website and/or database to use.
Can geologic cross-section drawings and fence diagrams available in research publications online be used for the following report?
When searching the PEER Ground Motion Database (NGA West2), please provide the event name and station name. Also, please confirm if the metadata for the Loma Prieta 1989 should be used.
If available, please provide material testing data for structural elements and/or soil at the site during construction.
To estimate the cost of the new design, will we be given more details regarding the size and use of the new building?
Are there any special code requirements due to a special use of the newly design structure? If there are, they might increase the cost of the construction.
Please state applicable software that can/will be used for the project.