Seismic Retrofit

The University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center holds an important place in the history of the fast-growing metropolis. Opened more than 50 years ago, the facility was one of the first medical centers in Los Angeles to be connected with a Medical School, and is the site of many innovations—the existence of AIDS was first detected at UCLA, and the first fetal monitoring technology was rolled out there.
Also of historical significance is the requirement in recent decades that buildings in California must be built, or retrofitted, to withstand the jarring or shaking caused by earthquakes. That is where Fast Forward Concrete Cutting comes in. Working with prime contractor, PCL, Fast Forward was chosen to provide concrete cutting and removal work in an older section of the medical center, as part of a Seismic Retrofit. Fast Forward worked closely with PCL to schedule its crews and equipment to be available once initial asbestos abatement and soft demolition work was completed.

Contractor provided concrete cutting and removal work in an older part of the medical center.
CUTTING AND REMOVAL
The concrete cutting and removal work that the company performed took place in three different areas: the ground floor of the building, including areas where the footings where located, and also office spaces, as well as the upper floors. Fast Forward Concrete Cutting was able to perform all the work on this project on time, and with a perfect safety record.
The original medical center buildings were built in the 1950s, and as the saying goes, were “built to last.” In order to provide access to the building footings and to allow old under floor utilities to be removed and replaced, Fast Forward cut and removed the slab on grade, utilizing flat saws, bobcats, as well as hand-held concrete breaking equipment.
On the several floors above the ground floor, hazardous materials were removed and soft demolition—including removal of wood, ceilings, electrical and some plumbing—was performed by another firm. Once this was completed, Fast Forward’s skilled workers could begin the job of cutting and breaking concrete encasing many of the structural steel columns and beams so that seismic reinforcements could later be added. These reinforcements included adding shear studs to the structural steel within the existing columns and beams and adding concrete shear walls between these columns and beams. In addition, part of the plan for the retrofit was to redo heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), as well as electrical for the building. The company’s crews had to demo certain areas where old equipment had been installed, and also create new floor and wall openings where the more modern HVAC ducting and equipment could be installed. This work had to be performed on each floor, as well as on the roof.

Hard demolition was performed in hallways.
SEALED FOR NOISE
Work in a busy medical center like UCLA requires that contractors seal off areas where offices remain open, and work during hours of the day (usually late at night, and overnight) when noise won’t disturb employees. Fast Forward crews performed hard demolition in hallways and rooms nearby, and in some cases, right next to occupied offices. One particular space contained some very old equipment, such as steam boilers, and measuring devices, and required creation of new holes in concrete walls and floors where new piping was to be installed. In order to allow the medical center to function normally, Fast Forward crews often worked shifts from late in the evening until early morning. Long experience doing this type of work, however, meant that work was performed on time and safely.
ECO-FRIENDLY WORK
Although Fast Forward Concrete Cutting has a heritage of doing “eco-friendly” concrete cutting and removal work—since before it was fashionable to even call it that—this job was no exception. The company ensured that nearly all of the waste product was diverted from landfill to a recycling center, as required by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (or LEED) specifications. So far Fast Forward has sent 5,000 tons of concrete to facilities to be 100 percent recycled.
Doing its part to ensure that a crucial, legendary Los Angeles medical center is earthquake safe, with minimal disturbance to health workers, Fast Forward Concrete Cutting completed the job on budget, and on time. ■
About the Author:
Fast Forward Concrete Cutting offers concrete cutting, core drilling, wall sawing, flat sawing, interior strip-outs, hard demolition, and site clearing. For more information, visit www.fastforwardconcretecutting.com.
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Modern Contractor Solutions, January 2014
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