University of Washington
Reopens Its Main Library
The Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington in Seattle reopened in September after a two-year retrofitting project to make it resistant to earthquakes. The university began seeking funding for the project in 1991, after the library was deemed one of the most dangerous buildings on campus in the event of an earthquake.
In 1999 the Washington State Legislature earmarked more than $47 million for the project, which began in the summer of 2000. Luckily, 60% of the interior strengthening had been completed by February 2001, when the Nisqually earthquake shook the building, and Suzzallo escaped with only minor damage.
The oldest part of the 1927 building needed three stories of concrete reinforcement, and steel bracing was added up to the ceiling, according to the October 1 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Workers strengthened the filigree that decorates the exterior, and steel pins were added to pinnacles and towers to anchor them to the structure.
Structural engineer Jay Taylor told the university’s Columns magazine that the building is still vulnerable to a 9-point superquake. But, he added, “What we try to do is prevent loss of life. We strengthen it so that it doesn’t collapse and people can safely exit the building.”
Posted October 7, 2002.
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