Ferry Building

Work

Renovating Maritime History: Engineering a historic preservation and seismic upgrade in one of the nation’s most famous port cities

DCI+SDE Engineers provided structural services for the seismic strengthening and renovation of the Ferry Building located in San Francisco, California. Originally constructed in 1898, and although having survived several earthquakes including the famous 1906 San Francisco earthquake, it was decided that the structure needed to be upgraded. DCI+SDE provided the engineering design for the clock tower, east addition, piers, and the girders that span over the BART tunnel. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Ferry Building was once the second busiest transit terminal in the world.

Location:

San Francisco, California

Square Feet:

315,000

Stories:

Service:

Structural

Industries:

Government & Municipal, Seismic/Adaptive Renovation

Primary Material:

Concrete, Steel

Project Highlights

Given that the renovation was a high-profile project, careful coordination between the San Francisco Port Authority, the design team members, and the public review process was required in order to assure the design intent was achieved and that the appearance of the original structure was maintained.
The renovation and seismic upgrade was completed in 2003 and was awarded the 2004 American Institute of Architecture San Francisco Design Award.
The building totals 315,000 square feet and is architecturally styled after the Giralda bell tower in Seville, Spain.