Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering, Inc. (BASE)

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Real estate developer Pacrep LLC contracted Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering (BASE) for structural design Phase 1 of its USD 275 million Ritz-Carlton Residences in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. The 37-story condo-hotel houses 459 units, three restaurants, and multiple pools. BASE developed the underlying 8-story concrete podium and used thin, post-tensioned slabs to maximize the number of floors within the 350-foot building height restriction.

Traditional models for analyzing concrete floors cannot account for equilibrium requirements or the distribution of forces across the design. RAM Concept overcame these problems, allowing BASE to accurately confirm performance characteristics. RAM Concept optimized the structural design, reducing concrete use by 30 percent and development time by 40 to 50 percent. The new Ritz-Carlton has helped revitalize Waikiki’s Kuhio Road and meet tourism demands.