News
The New Californian (Trader Joe’s) - Berkeley, CA
AKA is proud to be the geotechnical engineer of record for this 148-unit mixed-use apartment community that brings housing, a Trader Joe's grocery store, and a neighborhood café to Berkeley's downtown. Working with the project’s developer, Hudson McDonald (www.hudsonmcdonald.com), AKA engineers provided a full range of geotechnical investigative, consulting and construction services to successfully implement architect Kirk E. Peterson’s vision of a landmark building at the gateway to downtown Berkeley. Geotechnical challenges for the project included the excavation and construction of the building’s basement garage, which is within a developed urban environment and extends below groundwater. We celebrated the New Californian’s opening in June 2010 at an event on the building’s spectacular rooftop terrace, which features unobstructed views of San Francisco and the Berkeley Hills.
Helios Energy Research Facility West - Berkeley, CA
AKA conducted the geotechnical investigation for the University of California, Berkeley’s Helios West project. Located at the north end of downtown Berkeley across from the UC Campus, the Helios West project will include a new five-story, 112,800-square-foot research building and public open space designed to enliven and enhance the community. When complete, researchers within this eco-friendly building will seek solutions to global climate change. AKA’s geotechnical investigation included historical research, borings and geophysical surveys designed to thoroughly characterize the subsurface conditions, and provided comprehensive geotechnical recommendations for the design of the project. The existing State of California Department of Health Services building that occupies the site will be demolished in 2010 as part of the first phase of the project; the Helios West project is scheduled to be completed in 2013.
La Conchita Landslide - Ventura County, CA
AKA is leading a multi-disciplinary project team that is evaluating approaches to reduce slope-related risks at La Conchita for the State of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. La Conchita is situated on the California coast about 10 miles northwest of the city of Ventura, and has been the site of numerous slope failures including a catastrophic landslide that occurred in 2005. The principal components of our current phase of study include geologic characterization and hazards assessment, risk assessment, conceptual geotechnical mitigation designs and cost estimates.
