1998 - UCLA Royce Hall Upgrades Completed

Seismic upgrades and renovation of the historic UCLA Royce Hall was completed. The hollow clay block structure was severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and the building’s iconic towers were strengthened and restored on an emergency basis.
JAMA’s process to save the structure and seemingly “invisibly” bring it up to code involved the insertion of a new, six-story structural system of concrete panels located in the auditorium walls and connected by concrete beams to the building’s historic exterior brickwork. The new “soft” structure allowed the building to respond in unison with original masonry infill for maximum earthquake resistance and protection of the building’s historic fabric from future damage.