Warren Hall, the former signature building of California State University, East Bay’s campus in Hayward, was demolished by implosion last Saturday. The widely watched event was part of Sundt’s $40 million education construction project to replace the aging building with a new, state-of-the-art structure that meets current seismic standards.
Warren Hall was constructed in 1971 and housed administration offices and classrooms for more than 40 years. The demolition process isolated and then imploded the key structural elements that supported the building. With the demolition subcontractor using specially timed charges, the 13-story structure fell in a predetermined area away from nearby campus buildings while hundreds of onlookers watched and marveled.
Scientific research will benefit from the implosion. With Warren Hall sitting little more than a mile from the Hayward Fault, the U.S. Geological Survey – in cooperation with the university – observed and recorded the implosion on hundreds of seismographs temporarily set up within a one-mile radius of the demolition. The data gathered will help characterize the underground geology around the fault in three dimensions.
Warren Hall’s replacement building will be located on the east side of the campus, adjacent to the existing student services administration building. It will contain 67,000 square feet of offices and other administrative support space, and is being designed to achieve LEED Silver certification or higher. Sundt will begin construction of the new educational facility in November.