Page 14 - Transformations Brochure

Giannini Hall
Berkeley, CA

Size: 70,000 sf

Client: UC Berkeley
Market: Higher Education

EHDD’s seismic upgrade of Giannini
Hall, a 1930’s concrete structure on the
National Register of Historic Places,
was an opportunity to restore this
historic building to its original grandeur.
Giannini Hall is one of three buildings in
the UC Berkeley Agricultural Complex
organized around a court, in the style of
an old Tuscan farm.

Lessons Learned

1 Shoring for seismic reinforcement
can be extensive and invasive.

2 Vintage lath and plaster is a second
unitized system within the building,
and even limited intervention could
have significant ramifications.

3 Revamping vintage steam radiator
heating offers historical and
sustainability benefits, but replacing
the entire system has a detrimental
impact on old lath and plaster
construction.