An important aspect of MKA’s commitment to client needs, urban redevelopment, and sustainability is our expertise in evaluations and renovations of existing buildings. Our portfolio includes hundreds of existing building projects, including seismic evaluation and retrofit, adaptive reuse, building modernization, and incorporation of existing building elements into new construction. 

MKA recognizes the potential unknowns and challenges when working with existing buildings. We focus our efforts on minimizing risk through diligent field investigation during the early design phase as well as intense collaboration with the design team and contractor to provide the most efficient structural system relative to not only cost but also constructability, sequencing, and tolerance for unforeseen conditions.

Existing buildings technologies available at MKA include the following:

• Advanced computer modeling for historic building materials and systems and knowledge of cutting-edge performance-based seismic evaluation and retrofit standards. This enables us to utilize existing lateral load-resisting elements to the maximum possible benefit, thus reducing the extent of new structural elements.
• Use of cutting-edge solutions to accomplish seismic upgrades with a minimum of interruption and cost. Examples include the use of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) and buckling-restrained braced frames for seismic upgrade solutions
• Consideration of sequencing and constructability for renovation projects to minimize the need for temporary shoring and reduce the overall project duration.
• Sensitivity to historic features, implementing seismic upgrades and other renovation solutions that minimize the impact to historic buildings.