SEISMIC ISOLATION DESIGN OF THE SAINT JOHNS HEALTH CENTER

REPLACEMENT PROJECT
Jefferson W. Asher1
Michael A. Dygean2
Juan Hinds-Rico3
ABSTRACT
The Saint Johns Health Center Replacement Project, located in Santa Monica, California,
consists of four separate structures containing a total of approximately 470,000 sf of floor
space for hospital and support services. Two of these structures are base isolated. Additionally, the two separate superstructures are supported on a common diaphragm level. Hence, the
base isolation system supports a common diaphragm table-top, which in turn supports two
separate superstructures. The main purpose of utilizing this approach was to minimize the
relative displacements between the two building superstructures. Both of the building
structures are framed with structural steel, utilizing concentric braced frames as the lateral
force resisting system. The site is located within 1 km from the Santa Monica fault, and the
design ground motion is very severe. A base isolation system has been designed for the
facility that will provide essentially elastic building response to the design strong ground
motion. The base isolation system consists primarily of lead-rubber bearings, which provide
both the lateral stiffness and the damping that characterize the base isolated response of the
building. The existing Saint Johns Health Center campus was badly damaged in the 1994
Northridge Earthquake, and was shut down for approximately 9 months following the
earthquake while the facility underwent repairs. The use of a base isolation system for the
replacement Health Center was motivated in part by the desire of the facility to maximize the
probability of maintaining the post-earthquake continuity of operations. Design criteria,
structural analysis and design methodologies, and construction details are presented and
discussed.
Introduction
The Saint Johns Health Center Replacement project consists of four separate structures
containing a total of approximately 470,000 sf. The four structures are: a below-grade central
plant facility, a 4-story below-grade parking structure, a one-story below-grade and six-story
above-grade Inpatient Building, and a one-story below grade and four-story above-grade
Diagnostic and Treatment Building. Both the Inpatient Building and the D&T Building are base
isolated. The total project cost is $314 million, and the total construction cost is $179 million.
Refer to Fig. 1 for a site plan.
1

President, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Inc., Santa Monica, CA 90404

Principal, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Inc., Santa Monica, CA 90404
3
Associate, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Inc., Santa Monica, CA 90404
2

New
Loading
Dock
New
Cooling
Tower
New
Technology
Dock

New
Central Plant

New D&T
Building
New Inpatient
Center

New
Entry Plaza

Figure 1. Site Plan

Both the Inpatient Building and the D&T Building will be framed with structural steel and
concrete filled steel deck floor systems. The lateral force resisting system for both buildings consists
of steel concentric braced frames, which terminate on a concrete shear wall system for the single
below-grade level. Both buildings are supported on a base isolation system, consisting primarily of
lead-rubber bearings. The floor level directly above the base isolation system consists of a rigid
concrete two-way floor slab, with concrete beams located along all grid lines. The foundation system
for both buildings is a perforated concrete mat. Refer to Fig. 2 for cross-sections through the
Inpatient and D&T Buildings.
The Saint Johns Health Center is owned and operated by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, located in Leavenworth, Kansas. Sister Marie Madeleine Shonka is the President of the Saint Johns Health Center, and Mr. Bruce Lamoureux is the Chief Executive Officer.
The architect for the project is Saint Johns Associated Architects, which is a joint venture between
the Santa Monica office of Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (HOK) and SmithGroup. The Santa
Monica office of KPFF Consulting Engineers is the project structural engineer. The structural design
of the project is governed by the California Code of Regulations, Title 24 (State of California, 1995).
A base isolation system has been designed for the facility which will provide essentially
elastic building response to the design strong ground motion. The base isolation system is a
combination of lead-rubber and sliding bearings, as manufactured by Skellerup Industries of San
Diego, CA. The lead-rubber bearings provide the majority of the equivalent viscous damping
which serves to dissipate the energy associated with the strong ground motion, and to control
lateral displacements. They also determine the lateral stiffness of the base isolation system.
There are a small number of elastomeric-backed sliding bearings located below lightly-loaded
columns. There are a total of 192 lead-rubber bearings, all of which are 48 in diameter, and

Figure 2. Building Section Thru D&T and Inpatient (Looking North)

contain an 8-1/2 diameter lead core. There are a total of 11 elastomeric-backed sliders. The
fundamental period of vibration of the base isolation system is approximately 3 seconds, as
compared to a natural period of vibration of approximately 0.50 seconds for both the Inpatient
Building and D&T Building superstructures. This significant period shift contributes to the
reduction in building response to the strong ground motion which is anticipated. Refer to Fig. 3
for the details associated with the base isolation bearings.
Flexible joints are provided in the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing utility lines that
lead into the buildings across the seismic gap. The maximum design displacement which is
anticipated is 27 inches.
Design Criteria
Ground Motion
The design ground motion for this project consists of the following: a Design Basis
Earthquake (DBE) response spectrum corresponding to a 10% probability of exceedence in a 50
year period, and a Maximum Capable Earthquake (MCE) response spectrum corresponding to a
10% probability in a 100 year period. Seven spectrum-compatible time history records were
generated for use which were selected as being representative of the geolologic framework
associated with the Santa Monica, California site. These time history records, each with two
orthogonal components, were scaled in the time domain to match the target response spectra and
were then utilized as the input for the non-linear time history analyses. The target response
spectrum was 1.3 times the appropriate site specific spectra for both the DBE and MCE levels.
Structural Performance
The existing Saint Johns Health Center campus was very badly damaged in the 1994
Northridge Earthquake. The entire facility was shut down for a period of approximately 9
months following the earthquake in order to facilitate structural repairs. As a result, Saint Johns
Health Center was not able to provide badly-needed healthcare services for the community
following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. As such, the senior management of the Saint Johns
Health Center was committed to utilizing base isolation as a methodology for maximizing the
probability of maintaining the post-earthquake continuity of operations in their replacement
Health Center, in order to avoid the same scenario which occurred in 1994.
Hence, the structural performance goal was to provide an elastic response to the design
strong ground motion.
Structural Configuration
As indicated on Fig. 1, the Inpatient Building and D&T Buildings are directly adjacent to
each other, but built in separate phases. The entire Replacement Project is being constructed in
discrete phases, as the existing Saint Johns Health Center site is very constrained. Hence, once
each new building has been built, services and staff from existing facilities are relocated,
facilitating the demolition of another existing building and the phased construction of a new
building. So, although the Inpatient and D&T Building are intended to function as one facility

Figure 3. Typical Base Isolation Bearing

when they are both completed, there will be a 3 year gap between the completion of the Inpatient
Building and the completion of the D&T Building.
In order to satisfy the owners seismic performance goal, both the Inpatient and D&T
Buildings are base isolated. Due to the difference in construction timing, however, a seismic gap
between the two superstructures was required. Based on a feasibility analysis, it was determined
that the Inpatient Building could be designed as a stand-alone base isolated facility, and that both
the Inpatient and D&T Buildings could be designed to share a common base isolation system
once the construction of the D&T Building was completed. Details have been provided which
will allow the hard-attachment of the base level of the D&T Building to that of the Inpatient
Building once construction of the D&T Building has been completed, thus providing a common
diaphragm table-top for the two separate superstructures. This approach serves to minimize
the lateral displacements between the two building superstructures, which is beneficial in terms
of the configuration of functional crossings and utility services which must pass between the two
superstructures. Refer to Fig. 4 for an illustration of this procedure.
Maximum Displacement
The site conditions for the project are such that a 30-inch seismic gap could have been
tolerated. The lateral stiffness characteristics of the base isolation system were chosen so as to

maximize the separation in natural period of vibration between the base isolation system and the
superstructure above, while keeping maximum displacements at the building base to
approximately 30 inches or less. The result was a base isolation system which had a natural
period of vibration of approximately 2.7 seconds, and a maximum base lateral displacement of
26 inches. This approach minimized the seismic demand which is placed on the base isolated
buildings by a factor of approximately five as compared to a conventional fixed-base building.

Figure 4. Illustration of Common Diaphragm "Table-Top"

Maximum Seismic Uplift Displacements
Local vertical seismic uplift is accommodated in the base isolation bearing attachments
by the use of loose-bolt connection configuration, where the top plate of the bearing is engaged
in shear, but not in tension. Maximum local uplift displacement were limited to inch
maximum, and the actual maximum uplift displacement resulting from the non-linear analyses
was approximately inch. Only a very small percentage of the bearings were shown to be in
uplift at any instant in time based on the non-linear time history analyses, and this condition was
not judged to be a significant factor in predicting the lateral response of the buildings to the
strong ground motion.
Structural Analysis and Design Methodologies
Overview
For this project the following two base isolated structures were analyzed:
1. The Inpatient Building, as a stand alone structure;

2. The Inpatient Building and the D&T Building, as two separate superstructures, on a
common diaphragm tabletop.
The two base isolated structures were analyzed to take into account the construction
phasing of the project and in order to envelope the structural response of the buildings. The
sequence of construction for the two structures is as follows: the Inpatient Building will be
constructed first and will function as a stand-alone structure for approximately two years. The
D&T building will be constructed next and tied to the Inpatient Building at the level just above
the isolation system (the common diaphragm table top level).
In order to analyze the structures, noted above, a detailed three-dimensional model of
each base isolated structure was created using the computer program ETABS (Habibullah, 1997).
This model represented the superstructure geometry and member sizes, as well as an appropriate
spatial distribution of the bearings as non-linear hysteretic elements. The non-linear hysteretic
elements incorporated the vertical stiffness and the non-linear horizontal force-deflection
relationship of the bearings. The two structures were modeled as indicated in Fig. 4. These
analytical models were utilized to calculate the base-isolated response of the buildings and to
verify the adequacy of the base isolation system design. These analytical models were also used
for the overturning analysis and design and to determine the member forces in the columns,
braces and shear walls of the lateral force resisting system.
Dynamic Analysis Procedure
Time history records, time history orientation, and eccentric load applications:
Seven time history pairs for both the Design Basis Earthquake and the Maximum
Capable Earthquake served as the ground motion input for the analyses. The time-history
records were scaled in the time domain to match the target response spectra in accordance
with the requirements of the governing code (State of California, 1995). The two scaled
horizontal components for each time-history pair were applied in each of the orthogonal axes
at five distinct center of mass locations of the building. The five distinct center of mass
locations represented the calculated center of mass and four-floor mass offsets to account for
accidental torsion.
Stiffness Variation in the Isolation System:
The base isolation system and the superstructure were analyzed and designed utilizing the
upper and lower bound values of the isolation system stiffness and equivalent viscous
damping. The permissible variations in the horizontal stiffness and equivalent viscous
damping properties of the bearings relative to the target values was +5%. The target values
for horizontal stiffness and equivalent viscous damping were established during the prototype
testing phase of the project, and then those same properties were verified during the
production manufacturing and testing phase of the project.

Separate dynamic analyses were performed considering both the upper and lower bound
values of the isolation system properties as described below. Displacement quantities which
were utilized for design were derived from the analyses which incorporated the lower bound
values of horizontal stiffness and equivalent viscous damping. Force quantities which were
utilized for design were derived from the analyses which incorporated the upper bound values of
horizontal stiffness and equivalent viscous damping.
Summary of Dynamic Analyses
Non-linear time history analyses using the computer program ETABS were performed
for each of the seven time history pairs in each orientation and at each distinct center of mass
location. These analyses were also performed considering variations in the stiffness properties of
the isolation system as described above. From these analyses the maximum response of all the
parameters of interest from each time history pair, corresponding to a particular center of mass
location and orientation, is averaged with the other maximum response quantities corresponding
to that same center of mass location and orientation. The maximum quadrant values were then
found, and utilized for the analysis and design of the superstructure and the foundation system.
The governing response for horizontal displacement and interstory drift is the maximum average
value occurring at any center of mass location and orientation. Refer to Fig. 5 for an illustration
of this procedure.
The above described analyses were performed for the two models at both the MCE and
DBE ground motion levels. Refer to Table 1 for the global base isolated response for the two
buildings on top of a common diaphragm tabletop. The global response is shown for the MCE
level ground motion with maximum isolation system stiffness properties (KMAX) and minimum
isolation system stiffness properties (KMIN).
Table 1. Summary of Global Analytical Seismic Response Parameters for MCE level of
Earthquake Input and Minimum/Maximum Base Isolation System Stiffness Properties
Saint Johns Health Center Replacement Project
EARTHQUAKE LEVEL MAXIMUM CAPABLE EARTHQUAKE
(MCE-KMIN)
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
PARAMETER
Isolation System Period sec
Max. Resultant V. (Kips)
Displacement (in.)
@ C.O.M.
@DTM

RESPONSE
2.70
39,783/.3175g
22.7
25.7

EARTHQUAKE LEVEL MAXIMUM CAPABLE EARTHQUAKE

(MCE-KMAX)
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
PARAMETER
Isolation System Period sec
Max. Resultant V. (Kips)
Max. Resultant over Mom.
(K-in.)
Displacement (in.)
@ C.O.M.
@DTM

RESPONSE
2.70
42,128/.3369g
2.61E+07
21.2
23.6

Time History Pair Orientations

Time History Records

Average of the
Maximum Response at
each Quad per
Orientation

Governing
Response Used
for Design
Max Value at
any Quadrant

Maximum Average
Force Profile
corresponding to VBase
Max & QTM Max at
each Quadrant.

Max
Max

Maximum Average Force

Profile Applied to ETABS
Model as Static Forces for
Stress Check & DTM
Evaluation

NOTE:
Lower Bound Stiffness Valves shall be utilized for
determination of
Max Upper Bound Stiffness
Valves shall be utilized for determination of all other
response parameters.

Figure 5. Non-linear Time History Analysis Flow Chart Average of Seven Time History Pairs
Superstructure Design
In order to determine individual member forces acting on the lateral force resisting
elements of the superstructure, a two step procedure was implemented. Dynamic analyses using
the computer program ETABS run at MCE level ground motion, considering the five center of
mass locations, the two time history orientations and maximum isolator stiffness properties were
used to obtain governing force profiles. The force profiles were then input, as static forces, into
the ETABS analytical models, to obtain member forces.
In order to envelope the maximum member forces, the maximum average resultant force
profiles at each quadrant, as determined above, were applied in four distinct orthogonal
directions. The load cases considered for these analyses were 0.8D-1.0E and 1.2D+0.5L+1.0E.
In addition, the D+L load case was checked. For either seismic load case the ETABS models
were stabilized, as described below in the Seismic Overturning Analysis section, before
member forces were finalized and used for stress check analysis.

Seismic Overturning Analysis

The overturning analysis procedure used for each analytical model was a static
pushover analysis. This analysis was used to determine the maximum vertical uplift
displacement of the structure and the maximum downward compression loads on the isolators.
The maximum compression loads were used in foundation design and in evaluating the axial
capacity of the isolators. The maximum vertical uplift of an isolator and the number of isolators
in uplift, for a given load case, were compared to an uplift criteria that was agreed upon between
the structural engineer and the review agency.
The pushover analysis consisted of obtaining governing force profiles from dynamic
analyses which were run at the MCE level of ground motion, at the five center of mass locations
(quadrants), considering the two time history orientations and maximum isolator stiffness
properties. The governing force profiles, which produced the maximum average resultant
overturning moments at the base of the structures, were then input, as static forces, into ETABS
models at all five center of mass locations to determine maximum uplift. The load case that
governed this analysis was 0.8DL-1.0E. All isolators were then checked for uplift using an
iterative process. Uplift was determined by checking for a positive axial force in the isolators.
The properties of all isolators that were found in tension were then modified to prohibit them
from taking axial load, while still retaining their ability to transfer lateral loads. This would
allow the overturning moment to be redistributed to other isolators and allow the structure to
vertically release from the isolator and displace upward. The ETABS model was then re-run
and the process was repeated, in an iterative manner, until the model was stabilized (i.e. all
remaining isolators were in compression).
Summary
The Saint Johns Health Center Replacement Project has been designed to maximize the
probability of maintaining the post-earthquake continuity of operations. In order to accomplish
this seismic performance goal, a base isolation system has been utilized which is expected to
provide elastic structural response to the design ground motion. This base isolation system,
consisting primarily of lead-rubber bearings, reduces the seismic demands which are anticipated
for the superstructure by a factor of approximately five, relative to a conventional fixed-base
structure. Additionally, a new approach to the design of base isolated structures has been
utilized by founding two adjacent superstructures on a single common diaphragm table-top,
thus minimizing the interstory drifts between the two adjacent superstructures.
References
Habibullah, Ashraf, (1997) (Version 6.21), ETABS, Three Dimensional Analysis of Building Systems,
Computers and Structures Inc., Berkeley, California
State of California, (1995), Title 24, Part 2, California Code of Regulations with Amendments, California
Building Standards Commission, Sacramento, California