Base Isolator
Friday, November 10, 2006 at 12:37PM
Fabian Lewkowicz in Construction

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A  worker from McCarthy Construction Company sets the final  base isolator at the site of the Howard Keck Diagnostic and Treatment Center at Saint John's Health Center during the "Blessing and Installation of the Last Base Isolator" on Friday November 10, 2006.The base isolation system being installed at Saint John's is the largest of its kind ever manufactured. Acting much like giant shock absorbers for  buildings, the base isolators absorb the energy of an earthquake and allow the  building to move (as opposed to sway) in all directions, thus protecting both  the facility and its occupants from damage. This technology is designed to  keep Saint John's patients and staff safe from harm and enable the Health  Center to remain fully operational in the event of a seismic event equal to or  greater than the Northridge Earthquake. Saint John's is the only planned  hospital on the Westside of Los Angeles to use this advanced form of seismic  engineering.
Article originally appeared on Santa Monica Close-up (http://www.santamonicacloseup.net/).
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