Details
- Size: 60,000 square feet
- Completion Date: 2023
Awards
- Award of Merit – Infrastructure Category, Tunney Pedestrian Bridge at the Hammer Museum, 2015 American Institute of Architects, California Council
Team
- Architect: Michael Maltzan Architecture
- Contractor: MATT Construction
Situated on the corner of Wilshire and Westwood Boulevard in West Los Angeles, the Hammer Museum’s unique location serves as a gateway into the UCLA campus and stands among other high-rise office buildings in the West LA business district.
JAMA served as the engineer of record for the original Hammer Museum building designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes and constructed in 1990. Over the past 20 years, the Hammer Museum has been strategically enhancing and renovating its existing facilities, adding necessary program areas, expanding gallery spaces and providing new visibility and vitality to the Museum as a whole. JAMA has been involved for much of the renovations, executing and delivering on the master plan developed by the Museum and Michael Maltzan Architecture.
Photo credit: Iwan Baan
Completed projects by JAMA for the Museum include:
John V. Tunney Bridge (2015), which spans the central courtyard and connects the east and west wing galleries on the second floor of the Museum. The steel structure spans 33’-6” over the open courtyard, narrowing to a minimum width of 8’-8” wide at its center with flared ends that widen to a maximum width of 29’-10”.
Nimoy Studio and Video Gallery (2018), a versatile multipurpose space on the first floor that is able to host events and receptions. The studio features a prominent new 20 ft wide exterior window verlooking Westwood Blvd and a new 40 ft folding glass door that opens directly onto the central courtyard.
New Courtyard Café (2018)
Lindbrook Ramp Construction
Lindbrook Ramp Completed
Lindbrook Entry Ramp (2019), a new accessible ramp and street level window to increase transparency, infusing the central courtyard with additional natural light. The new ramp required existing 60 ft span W36x steel beams to be shored, cut and reinforced with built-up steel plates to accommodate the required slope and circulation for the new ramp.
Photo credit: Iwan Baan
Most recently, the Museum has expanded into the adjacent 15-Story Office Tower, occupying 40,000 square feet across the first five floors of the tower. Work in the Office Tower includes the New Entry Lobby and Lobby Galleries (2023), and Office Tenant Improvements (2022) on the third, fourth and fifth floors including a new floating stair connecting the fourth and fifth floors.
Seismic Retrofit Damper Construction
Seismic Retrofit Damper Completed
Adding a layer of complexity to these renovations is a full Seismic Retrofit of the Office Tower (2023) to bring the building into compliance with the UC Seismic Safety Policy. JAMA designed the seismic retrofit utilizing ASCE 41 Nonlinear Dynamic procedures. The retrofit introduced fluid viscous dampers at the perimeter moment frames at the east and west elevations from the third floor to fifth floor, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) wrap applied to exterior wall piers from the third to seventh floor, FRP applied to the elevator shaft walls, and strengthening of the existing column splices. The damper forces transfer to a composite moment frame at the third floor level consisting of steel encased concrete beams and composite concrete encased steel columns, allowing for unobstructed openings at the main entrance into the building.
Seismic Retrofit Moment Frame Column
