USC University Hospital
Los Angeles, California
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As the world’s first hospital designed and constructed with base-isolation seismic technology, initial construction costs were reduced and repair costs from a 5.8 earthquake were virtually eliminated.
USC University Hospital is located within the Richard K. Eamer Medical Plaza at the University of Southern California Medical Campus.
The idea of seismic base-isolation is to separate the structure from the shaking earth. The 340,000 square foot, 283 bed hospital rests on 149 elastomeric pads which isolate it from the full lateral force of an earthquake.
With this technology, USC University Hospital can withstand an earthquake of up to 8.2 on the Richter scale, while decreasing the amount of steel needed to stabilize the structure. By decreasing the amount of steel needed, construction costs were substantially reduced.
With seven above-grade and one below-grade floor, USC University Hospital is a full service acute care teaching hospital and includes nuclear medicine, research laboratories, a 30 bed psychiatric unit and many other research and treatment facilities.
