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Founded in 1947, El Camino College is a community college situated on a beautiful and spacious 126-acre campus near Torrance serving the "South Bay" communities of Southern California. In March of 2013, the College awarded Amoroso with an 18 month, $25 million contract to construct the Industry and Technology Building Modernization Project. The project includes the complete renovation of the Math and Computer Science Building originally constructed in the 1960s. The scope of wprk includes abatement, selective interior and exterior demolition, new and replacement elevators, replacement of all building systems, and complete interior build-out.

The existing three level concrete structure was gutted of all non-structural elements down to bare concrete to facilitate the structural upgrades necessary to meet 2010 CBC requirements. MHP Structural Engineers' solution for the design included the combined use of shotcrete, new steel beams and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) to strengthen the existing concrete beams walls and formed decks.

To reinforce the existing concrete decks, new W16 x 67 steel I beams were mounted adjacent to the existing 13x20 concrete beams spanning the 30' column bays. The steel beams were anchored at each end to the existing concrete beams with connection plates and through-bolts. The designed layout of the new beams as supplements between the existing concrete beams between bays, rather than adding steel below existing beams from column to column, maintained the available floor to ceiling heights while still achieving the required structural upgrade. For the shotcrete scope of work, in addition to being utilized for various wall infills, existing 10" concrete shear walls at each corner of the structure were furred out with 6" of new shotcrete from column line to column line.

Finally, Tyfo Fibrwrap system CFRP was installed at various locations to enhance multiple existing concrete elements. At the basement level, the slab on grade was removed around the concrete columns down to the footings and CFRP was applied to wrap the columns up to the deck above for added strength and ductility. At various existing concrete beams between columns, CFRP was applied to wrap the beam for added flexural and shear strength. At various existing concrete shear walls and in all existing stairways, CFRP was applied vertically to add shear strength and reinforce new openings for doors and windows.

For all three of these methods of structural enhancements, we were required to minimize any damage to existing reinforcing steel due to the high number of anchors required. The vast quantity of locations requiring scanning of the existing concrete to verify rebar layouts resulted in our investment in a scanning device which has become a useful Amoroso asset shared by all jobsites in the SoCal division.

The El Camino College project slated for completion this Fall is yet another example of our increasing portfolio of modernization work taking place on occupied campuses with ongoing operations.