Terminal Annex Infomart Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
1938 Registered National Historic Landmark
4 stories
470,000 square feet
The existing 1938 building is a registered national historic landmark and is comprised of a 4-story conventionally reinforced concrete structure with a one level basement. The gross building area is 470,000 square feet with a plan dimension of 188 feet by 524 feet.
Change of Use
Originally built for the postal services, the new occupants of the building are computer/internet service providers which require extremely high density UPS and battery back-up power systems to be installed. Strengthening of the existing floor (a two-way flat plate system) was required to accommodate the 150 to 250 psf live load requirement for this particular usage.
Mechanical System
Heavy concentration of rooftop mechanical units for the occupants occurs on the roof. A structural steel tonnage system was developed to accommodate a live load requirement of 100 psf for this unusual mechanical requirement.
Seismic Rehabilitation
The existing structure was evaluated for seismic performance in both principle directions. The longitudinal direction was deemed structurally sound without additional reinforcement, however in the transverse direction, the building is strengthened by steel eccentrically braced frames and sheer walls.
