Project Overview

At the time, this was the largest GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) project in the United States. The hotel construction was completed just before the Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco, and the building endured the seismic event with minimal impact. The GFRC panels sustained only minor cosmetic damage, with no structural compromise to either the panels or their connections.

The panels were designed to span from floor to floor and column to column while also supporting the window system. This required manufacturing panels measuring between 10 to 12 feet in height and 18 to 24 feet in length, incorporating openings for the window system.

Due to the architectural requirements for panel joints and window placement, the GFRC panels were designed to remain open at the top of the window system. To ensure structural integrity, the windows were engineered to be supported by a single panel rather than being connected to multiple panels. This necessitated an innovative approach to panel frame design, allowing them to index into the panels above. Additionally, the GFRC skin was engineered to cantilever past the panel frame of the panel below, preserving the architectural joint system.

This project marked the first application of indexed panel frames for supporting a window system using GFRC window box panels, setting a precedent for future architectural and structural design advancements.

Project Team:

Lafayette Manufacturing, Hayward, CA

Key Project Attributes

• Completed in 1989

Project/Precast Scope

•  This was the largest GFRC project in the US at the time
• The panels needed to be designed to span floor to floor and column to column and support the window system.
• This resulted in the requirement to design and manufacture panels that were 10'-12' in height and 18'-24' in length with openings for the window system.
• The hotel construction was completed just before the Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco, and the building endured the seismic event with minimal impact.