Structural analysis and design of the Metropolitan Water District Headquarters in Los Angeles, California

Abstract

This paper presents important issues related to the structural analysis and design of a multistory office building in a zone of high seismicity. Designed in 1996, the Metropolitan Water District Headquarters Building is a concrete building located in downtown Los Angeles which occupies a spatial footprint of approximately 170 000 square feet. The structural system is a combination of cast‐in‐place and precast concrete framing and supports heavy, articulated precast wall panels. Plan irregularities and vertical setbacks have created a complex project which highlights the issues involved in contemporary design of tall buildings in southern California. As the building owner directed the design to meet the requirements of an essential facility, extensive linear and nonlinear analyses were performed to evaluate performance of the building during major earthquakes. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.