Kaiser Permanente Brings Needed Medical Services and Creative Architecture to Its West Berkeley Neighborhood

The new Kaiser Permanente (KP) medical office building (MOB) in West Berkeley will provide critical medical services to the local community. The L-shaped 66,000-square-foot structure embraces the challenging small infill site with an integrated design that allows for open floor plates and a stunning architectural design. After studying different structural schemes, the ConXtech steel space moment frame was chosen as the structural solution to maximize the flexibility of the ground floor parking and embrace the architectural expression. The steel moment frame scheme allowed for improved seismic performance and allowed for shallow foundations.

An Innovative High Performance Structure

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) new headquarters in San Francisco, California, set a new standard for high-performance structures when it opened in June 2012. The building, slated for LEED Platinum certification, is a showcase for a host of leading-edge sustainable design elements, making it one of the greenest office buildings in the nation.

In this case, the design of the structural system, including its post-tensioned concrete shear walls and construction materials, made key contributions in achieving this distinction.

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