Cordova Substation Seismic Strengthening

Cordova, Tennessee

As the prime consultant, we led a multi-disciplinary team for the seismic evaluation and retrofit of the 6,000 sf unreinforced masonry (URM) control house building. The site earthquake demands at this location are expected to be very high and a performance objective of Immediate Occupancy was needed. Working in an energized facility required creative problem solving to perform the seismic strengthening while the control house remained operational. As part of the strengthening, concrete shear walls and columns were added to the exterior of the building to avoid disruption to the operations of the facility. To achieve Immediate Occupancy performance, both the structural and nonstructural systems were addressed.