The largest base-isolated building in the world officially opened in earthquake-prone Istanbul, Turkey, on May 21.
The 1-million-sm, $1.5 billion Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital, located near the North Anatolian fault of the Europe side of this city, features 2,068 seismic isolators. It is designed—by Perkins and Will’s Washington D.C. office, in collaboration with the Turkish firm Yazgan Design Architecture—to meet ASCE 41 “Immediate Occupancy” seismic performance objective under a rare earthquake event.
“From a structural standpoint, the criterion is designing the building to meet an event that might happen every 2,500 years,” says Aysegul Gogus, a project manager for Arup’s Los Angeles office. Arup, the structural engineer on this project, worked with two investment firms, Rönesans Holding and Japan-based Sojitz Corporation, to execute this hospital under a P3 arrangement that included Turkey’s Ministry of Health. Turkey’s president Recap Tayyip Erdogan, and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, participated in the grand opening.
(“Cam” means “pine” in Turkish, and “sakura” means “cherry blossoms” in Japanese.)
Also see: Prescient receives ICC Certification for seismic resilience system
One of the 2,068 seismic isolators that, in tandem, could reduce the seismic force on the hospital's superstructure by a factor of three.
CLOUD COMPUTING WAS CRITICAL TO TESTING
In an interview with BD+C yesterday, Gogus explained that the seismic design for a building this large required far more complicated analytical modeling than would normally be the case. These models typically have longer computer running times and, possibly, convergence issues.
Consequently, cloud computing—which allowed Arup to run several analyses simultaneously—was essential to moving this project forward expeditiously. “The software we used for ground-motion analysis allowed for a lot of automation,” so the models could be created quicker, she said. The building’s design was completed in less than a year.
Arup chose to go with triple-friction pendulum isolators, which exhibit behavior with amplitude-dependent strength and instantaneous stiffness. These isolators allow the building to move horizontally and help release seismic energy. Gogus stated that the isolators can displace up to 700 millimeters during a seismic event, and, in the opinion of Arup and the developers, would reduce the seismic force on the superstructure by a factor of three.
Also see: A Seismic Advance in Performance
The hospital, with 2,682 beds, has the capacity to handle up to 32,700 patients per day.
ARUP HONES ITS AUTOMATION SKILLS
Gogus admits that seismic building codes aren’t always where Arup would like them to be, which is why the firm studied six different isolation schemes using nonlinear time history analysese at the onset of the project. Arup was also able to visualize its analyses for presentations to the project’s stakeholders.
This project, said Gogus, “really helped us improve our automation skills.”
The hospital has 2,682 beds that include around 400 ICU beds. There are three hospital towers, six clinical buildings, five auxiliary facility buildings, 90 operating theaters, and 4,300 medical personnel. The hospital has the capacity to handle 32,700 patients per day. About one-fifth of the hospital’s total footprint—211,000 sm—is landscaped.
Related Stories
Daylighting | Aug 18, 2022
Lisa Heschong on 'Thermal and Visual Delight in Architecture'
Lisa Heschong, FIES, discusses her books, "Thermal Delight in Architecture" and "Visual Delight in Architecture," with BD+C's Rob Cassidy.
| Aug 16, 2022
Cedars-Sinai Urgent Care Clinic’s high design for urgent care
The new Cedars-Sinai Los Feliz Urgent Care Clinic in Los Angeles plays against type, offering a stylized design to what are typically mundane, utilitarian buildings.
| Aug 15, 2022
IF you build it, will they come? The problem of staff respite in healthcare facilities
Architects and designers have long argued for the value of respite spaces in healthcare facilities.
AEC Tech | Aug 8, 2022
The technology balancing act
As our world reopens from COVID isolation, we are entering back into undefined territory – a form of hybrid existence.
| Aug 3, 2022
Designing learning environments to support the future of equitable health care
While the shortage of rural health care practitioners was a concern before the COVID-19 pandemic, the public health crisis has highlighted the importance of health equity in the United States and the desperate need for practitioners help meet the needs of patients in vulnerable rural communities.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 1, 2022
New Phoenix VA outpatient clinic is one of the largest veteran care facilities in the U.S.
The new Phoenix 32nd Street VA Clinic, spanning roughly 275,000 sf over 15 acres, is one of the largest veteran care facilities in the U.S.
Building Team | Jul 12, 2022
10 resource reduction measures for more efficient and sustainable biopharma facilities
Resource reduction measures are solutions that can lead to lifecycle energy and cost savings for a favorable return on investment while simultaneously improving resiliency and promoting health and wellness in your facility.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 22, 2022
Arizona State University’s Health Futures Center: A new home for medical tech innovation
In Phoenix, the Arizona State University (ASU) has constructed its Health Futures Center—expanding the school’s impact as a research institution emphasizing medical technology acceleration and innovation, entrepreneurship, and healthcare education.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 20, 2022
Is telehealth finally mainstream?
After more than a century of development, telehealth has become a standard alternative for many types of care.
Codes and Standards | Jun 14, 2022
Hospitals’ fossil fuel use trending downward, but electricity use isn’t declining as much
The 2021 Hospital Energy and Water Benchmarking Survey by Grumman|Butkus Associates found that U.S. hospitals’ use of fossil fuels is declining since the inception of the annual survey 25 years ago, but electricity use is dipping more slowly.
