December Holiday Meeting: The Story Behind the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Join us on December 3rd as we bring the LA GeoInstitute to Downtown LA!

Don’t miss our Holiday party and ugly holiday sweater contest with amazing prizes awarded to the crowd favorites.

BUY YOUR TICKETS EARLY as we are limited to 70 attendees and will be collaborating with ASCE Section 9.

December 3rd, 5-8pm @ HNTB office located at: 777 S Figueroa St #2300, Los Angeles, CA

From Narrative to Structure: The Story Behind the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Presentation by Jeff Braun, GE, PE, PMP & David Teague, PhD, GE, PE with ENGEO

The most iconic structures often appear effortless. The sweeping form of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art seems to float above the landscape, hiding the extraordinary engineering required to transform a bold architectural vision into reality. Located in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, the approximately 300,000-square-foot, base-isolated museum brought together architects, structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, con- tractors, and seismologists to address challenges that were any- thing but conventional. ENGEO served as the Geotechnical and Environmental Engineer of Record and developed the site-specific seismic demands governing the museum’s design. When initial ground-motion estimates resulted in predicted displacements that exceeded the capacity of the base-isolation system, the project team faced a critical design challenge: modify the structure or develop a more refined understanding of the seismic hazard at the site.

This seminar tells the engineering story behind California’s most recognizable new structure. It explores how non-ergodic seismic hazard analysis was used to develop more site-specific ground motions for the museum and how ENGEO worked collaboratively with UCLA researchers in an unprecedented effort to refine seismic demands while preserving the architectural vision. The discussion will explore not only the technical principles behind the analysis, but also the practical realities of applying advanced earthquake engineering to a complex, high-profile project where uncertainty, performance objectives, constructability, schedule, and architectural intent are deeply interconnected. Ultimately, the Lucas Museum represents a story of engineering collaboration and innovation, where a deeper understanding of the ground beneath the structure helped make possible the extraordinary form rising above it.

Jeff Braun, GE, PE (CA, HI, GU, NMI), PMP

Jeff brings over 24 years of experience in geotechnical design, review, and project management services for projects throughout California. Prior to joining ENGEO, Jeff served as an Engineer Officer in the U.S. Army providing master planning, design, construction management, and inspection services on projects in several countries with international clients and contractors. Jeff’s recent project management and environmental project experience includes the LA Metro Purple Line Extension, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art at Exposition Park, LA Aerial Rapid Transit, Great Park Neighborhoods in Irvine, and the Grayson Repowering Project in Glendale.

David Teague, PhD, PE, GE

David is a geotechnical engineer with specialization in earthquake engineering and geophysical exploration techniques. He serves a variety of projects in both the public and private sectors including high-rises, waterfront development, and water and wastewater infrastructure. David has extensive experience with seismic site response, ergodic and non-ergodic seismic-hazard analyses, ground-motion selection and modification, and soil-structure interaction. Additionally, David has broad experience with seismic retrofits under the ASCE 41 standard. David has performed seismic-hazard analyses for several high-profile projects and led ENGEO’s implementation of a specialized technique for predicting earthquake site response known as “non-ergodic” site response. He has authored or co-authored eight peer-reviewed journal articles and six conference papers, with over 500 total citations.