Buildings 1-310 & 2-560
Seismic Strengthening
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Two historic buildings on the campus of Stanford University have been seismically upgraded by murakami/Nelson architects. The first, building was a 3,600 square foot unreinforced masonry historic building in the the Main Quad area. Stanford decided to strengthen the building structure, not only to repair the recent earthquake damage, but to meet the requirements of the Santa Clara County Ordinance related to earthquake hazard mitigation. A new second floor was constructed to increase space utilization and enhance structural stability. Evaluation and modification of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems was required to meet the needs of the program and to ensure that the systems were flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of users. The design retained the historic appearance of the exterior while adapting the interior for its new use.

The second building, originally an electrical substation and later converted to office space, was the subject of a seismic strengthening project. Consisting of 6,000 square feet, the building is made of unreinforced masonry with a a clay tile roof and cement plaster exterior and is located at the perimeter of the historic Main Quad area. To accommodate the new use for the building as office surge space, the floor plans were designed to be flexible in accommodating a range of temporary uses. The mechanical and plumbing services were completely redesigned and upgraded, and a new electrical system was designed to provide modern computer and communications services.