The San Francisco Exploratorium Facility Upgrade

Terrific Transformation. The San Francisco Exploratorium, an interactive science museum, planned to relocate from the Palace of Fine Arts to Piers 15/17, along the Embarcadero. The Pier 15 buildings and concrete pier substructure, built in 1931 and Pier 17 built in 1912 needed to be rehabilitated, including repairs, seismic retrofitting, and renovation. It was also required to provide temporary berths for Navy vessels along the upgraded facility. Reid Middleton provided a three-dimensional mooring and berthing analysis and repair of the marine concrete structures deteriorated by reinforcement corrosion. Based on the three-dimensional mooring analysis and berthing study, new mooring bitts were installed along the east apron for large vessel mooring along the facility. The pier facility is now effectively used as a berthing facility for tug boats and two Navy vessels, CG-53 and CG-67. The facility also serves as a public waterfront park for the newly-relocated San Francisco Exploratorium.