Performance-based Design of Civic Buildings

Courthouses and government buildings have an important role in providing order and service to the public. They are required to be functional following extreme events, including natural disasters such as extreme wind events and earthquakes, or blast and ballistic threats.

This paper emphasizes the design efforts and challenges encountered during the design phase and construction of the San Diego Central Courthouse, New San Bernardino Justice Center, and the New Los Angeles Federal Courthouse. Each of these structures utilizes innovative technologies like viscous damping devices to supplement ductile Special Moment Frame, Triple Concave-Friction Pendulum bearings and Buckling Restrained Braces to achieve enhanced seismic and blast resistant structures. The goal of designing resilient structures beyond code prescriptive methods were met, while efficiently utilizing community’s civic resources. This paper also summarizes the seismic risk and life-cycle assessments that were completed to assist decision making in the selection of alternative structural systems leading to cost- effective enhanced seismic and security performance objectives.