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Veterans' Memorial Auditorium Evaluation and Retrofit

Slate performed a geotechnical investigation and seismic evaluation of the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium. Our work supported the seismic evaluation and retrofit of this unique 34,000-square-foot, circular building with an attached rectangular “arm.”


A Marin area landmark, the auditorium was designed by Taliesin Associated Architects, a successor firm to Frank Lloyd Wright. The auditorium seats 2,000 and hosts a variety of events from Marin Symphony performances to corporate meetings. Located near multiple faults, the Auditorium building posed a seismic safety risk to the community.


Phase 1 improvements include implementation of measures to alleviate water intrusion through the building slabs and below-grade walls, structural repairs to correct settling in sections of the building's floor slabs due to subgrade subsidence, improvements to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and upgrades to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and interiors. Construction of foundation components is included in Phase 1. 


Slate reviewed the results of a previous geotechnical investigation and conducted engineering analyses to develop conclusions and recommendations regarding anticipated settlements for current and proposed improvements; provided foundation analysis, recommendations, and design criteria for the most appropriate foundation type, fill for the void space beneath the floor slabs, fill quality and compaction; and updated earthquake-induced geologic hazards. Slate is providing consultation throughout the project’s design and construction.

Slate services:

  • Geotechnical investigation and seismic evaluation
  • Ground motion development
  • Assessment of potential for earthquake-induced geohazards
  • Site-specific probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA)
  • Deterministic seismic hazard analysis (DSHA)
  • Nonlinear site response analysis
  • Recommendation for foundation-level response spectra, evaluation of earthquake-induced hazards, estimation of lateral earth pressures on grade beams and  basement walls


Technical components:

  • The foundation includes grade beams and deep foundation elements
  • Soils include man-made fill, Young Bay Mud with peat, alluvium, and weathered sandstone and shale bedrock.
  • The building was assessed to have a likelihood of significant shaking during a major earthquake, rating it at a moderate to high risk of liquefaction on the site, which includes shallow sand and gravel.

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