This project involved the seismic study and retrofit of an existing 15-story dormitory building. The building is cast-in-place concrete slab and thin shear walls using tunnel form construction and mat foundation. Three-dimensional nonlinear dynamic analyses were conducted to study the seismic performance of the building and to select the appropriate retrofit scheme.

The thin mat foundation (3ft to 4ft) was retrofitted using micropiles that intended to resist the seismic forces. Pilasters, pile caps and specially grouted mat-to-pile connections were used to transfer the forces from the shear walls to the micropiles. The stairs seismic upgrade was performed to maintain a safe egress to the building after a seismic event.