San Francisco, CA
Sutro Tower
Scope/Solutions
Built in 1972, the 977 ft Sutro Tower is the tallest tower in California and serves as a base for radio, television, and microwave transmission throughout the Bay Area. Since 2002, SGH has performed a wide range of engineering services, including seismic evaluation and upgrade, structural design of tower reconfiguration, annual inspection and repairs, and design of site work and addition of appurtenant structures.
In support of our design services for the tower, SGH completed the following:
- Developed and maintained a nonlinear dynamic analysis model to evaluate the tower’s adequacy for various modifications
- Conducted wind tunnel and wind vortex shedding studies
- Analyzed the effects of corrosion on the structure’s stability and safety
- Evaluated the tower’s exposure to wildlands fire and developed maintenance plans to control the fire risk
- Design structural strengthening for the tower and appurtenant structures to remain operational following maximum considered earthquake shaking
Photo by iStock / timothytjoshua
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Project Summary
2008
Completion Date
Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Structures | Performance & Code Consulting
Markets
Science & Defense
Client(s)
Sutro Tower, Inc.
Specialized Capabilities
Seismic Engineering | Repair & Strengthening | Risk & Resilience Assessment
Key team members
Additional Projects
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Idaho National Laboratory, Fuel Manufacturing Facility (MFC-704), Seismic Fragility Evaluation
SGH developed seismic fragilities for the MFC-704 structure (also referred to as the Fuel Manufacturing Facility) for input to a seismic probabilistic risk assessment.
West
Vanadium Technology Program, Blast-Resistant Walls
Over ten years, SGH researched innovative uses of High Strength Low Alloy Vanadium (HSLA-V) steels in a variety of structural applications under the Vanadium Technology Program, an initiative sponsored by the U.S. ARL in conjunction with VPRA.