Portfolio: Project Details
Scholar Rock Seismic Analysis & Anchorage Design
New Asian Garden at Asian Art Museum
San Francisco, CA
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Interactive Resources’ structural engineering division provided analysis and
seismic anchorage design services for the installation of this
nine-foot-tall, six-ton Scholars' Rock in the new garden at the Asian Art
Museum in San Francisco.
The project's greatest engineering challenge was the need to provide a
secure but non-permanent base for the Rock – to protect the Rock, museum staff
and visitors in the event of an earthquake – without jeopardizing the integrity
of this significant Chinese artistic landscape piece.
The City of Shanghai originally presented this particular Scholars' Rock to the
City of San Francisco to commemorate the 2000 reopening of the international
airport, but the Rock never found a permanent home in the ever-changing
airport.
The Scholars' Rock is an important feature in this new 160 square-foot
Asian garden at the Museum, which displays a variety of sculptures and plant
life – such as dogwood trees, cypresses and Japanese maples – from different
Asian cultures. Interactive Resources also provided structural
analysis and stabilization for another prominent garden feature, an undulating
wall with a copper gate, roof and trellis.
Chinese Scholars' Rocks are naturally formed or "sculptured" stones in
surprising shapes and textures. For centuries, these rocks have
represented a focus for meditation of religious or philosophic principles and
serve for contemplation prior to writing poems or painting.
The Chinese interest in collecting rocks for religious or aesthetic purposes can
be traced back to the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), when Chinese
connoisseurs began using large stones to decorate their gardens and courtyards.
For more information on Scholars' Rocks, go to:
http://shimagata.tripod.com/srhist.htm
