The Utah State Capitol Seismic Base Isolation and Restoration was given an Honor Award at the National American Council of Engineering Companies in Washington DC on Tuesday, April 28, 2009.
In providing the award the ACEC said “Groundbreaking engineering has made the Utah State Capitol Building less vulnerable to seismic activity, despite the historic structure’s close proximity to an active fault capable of producing a 7.3 magnitude earthquake. Extensive renovation for the 90-year-old structure required complete foundation removal without raising or lowing the building by more than 1/16 in. Installation of 265 base isolators consisting of laminated rubber plates and steel allow the building to float above the ground during seismic activity. The 300,000-square-foot building and it occupants are not expected to survive a major earthquake with little injury or damage.”
Utah State Capitol Rotunda
Capitol Rotunda Dome & Chandelier
Capitol Preservation Board Executive Director
- David H. Hart, FAIA Architect of the Capitol
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Graduated from the University of Utah with a BS in Planning and Urban Design 1989. Master of Architecture 1981 - Graduate School of Architecture, University of Utah. Practiced architecture in the private sector from 1981 to 1999. Founding Partner of Hart, Fisher, Smith Architects 1994. Appointed Architect of the Utah State Capitol in 1999. Was awarded Fellowship in the AIA in 2009.