Cypress College ‘Piazza’ May Be a Seismic Risk : Safety: The walkway-plaza could require retrofitting costing as much as $4.3 million--money the school does not have.

The “piazza,” a distinctive element in Cypress College’s award-winning architectural design, is now a target of concern in an earthquake-safety study.

This second-level walkway and plaza that connects the major buildings on campus is among the structures in the North Orange County Community College District that may require seismic retrofitting. The district, already struggling with a financial crisis because of the county bankruptcy, is searching for outside funding sources.

Based on a preliminary cost estimate, the district has asked the state for $4.3 million to pay for possible earthquake-safety work. The financially ailing district also plans to contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency about possible funding.

“Even if we didn’t have the situation we have with the Orange County bankruptcy, we wouldn’t have the money to do this,” said Gilbert Moreno, vice chancellor of finance and facilities. The district, which has an annual operating budget of $93 million, borrowed about $50 million to invest in the now-collapsed county-run pool.

“What we have found by looking at engineering drawings and by visually inspecting the buildings is that some of them do not meet the newer safety requirements,” Moreno said. The facilities in question were built in the 1960s and early 1970s.

“Mother Nature has taught us a lot more about herself over the last several decades,” Moreno said. “We learned much from the ’71 earthquake and from the . . . Northridge earthquake.”

A preliminary study conducted last fall determined that some of the district buildings need additional anchoring where walls are joined to roofs and floors. This deficiency exists at the Fullerton College cafeteria and the Applied Arts and Administrative Services buildings.

Stronger anchoring is also required at storage and maintenance buildings at the District Service Center in La Habra, and may be required at the District Education Center administration building in Fullerton.

At Cypress College, the piazza is the only safety concern, but it is a big one. Structural engineer Richard J. Phillips, who is conducting the $23,000 seismic-hazard study, said that if the piazza requires retrofitting, the district would have three options.

One would be to strengthen the support columns by wrapping them with a carbon composite material that is stronger than steel. But Phillips said the piazza’s cruciform-shaped columns do not readily lend themselves to such a treatment.

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“If we made them into big, round columns, they would look so different,” he said. “It would look very awkward.”

Another option would be to tear down the piazza. However, that would be a costly and complicated procedure that would significantly mar the college’s aesthetic appeal, he said.

“It is an award-winning campus,” Phillips noted. “Back in the 1960s it was nationally famous for its appearance. All the buildings there are really remarkable, even now. It would be a shame to disturb that in some matter.”

Echoing that opinion is Cypress College President Christine Johnson, who regards the piazza as part of the campus identity.

“I would say the large majority of people on campus think it is one of the architectural enhancements that make the college unique,” Johnson said, “and they want to preserve it. There is not a day goes by that people don’t marvel at how lovely this campus is.”

Phillips said that if the piazza does need strengthening, the most reasonable solution may be to stiffen the columns with diagonal braces or a similar form of support. “It would be truer to the original architecture,” he pointed out.

When Phillips completes the seismic-hazard study in about three weeks, he will meet with Johnson, Moreno and other district officials to explore ways of temporarily reinforcing the structures in question.

“We are doing our very best to take action just as soon as we possibly can with respect to the deficiencies,” Moreno said. “We’re taking this very, very seriously.

“I can’t tell you if the state is in a position to fund our particular emergency down here,” Moreno added. “But I’ll tell you this, we’re going to make every attempt to find every possible source of funding.”