Category
Practitioner
Born
1942
Career Began
1966
Retired
2009
Media
Mark Saunders
Mark Saunders
Contributions to Structural Engineering History in Northern California

Mark Saunders, S.E. is a recognized national leader in many technical developments that have changed and improved the engineering, analysis, design, and performance of buildings and structures. Like many other SEAONC engineers, Mark leads the profession’s development and implementation for improved seismic performance of buildings.

His expertise and professional standing is recognized by many Local, State and National agencies and associations who invite Mark to represent them on Building Codes and Standards development and for Peer Review of others engineers work. He worked with Rutherford and Chekene Structural Engineers for most of his career. He led the company as President and Chief Structural Engineer for ten (10) years, 2000 – 2010. Some of his professional career milestones include:

SEAONC: President (1992), Fellow, Honorary Member, Seismology Committee Chair, Ad-Hoc Committee on Eccentrically Braced Frames.

SEAOC: Seismology Committee, Board, Fellow.

ATC: Board Member and President.

BSSC: PUC Member

AISC Seismic Committee Member: Chair Moment Frame Subcommittee

Chair LA County Technical Advisory Panel on Steel Moment Frame Buildings

SAC: Lead Guideline Writer for FEMA 350: Recommended Seismic Design Criteria for New Steel Moment Frame Buildings (2000)

CA Hospital Building Safety Board Member

Early Adopter of Eccentrically Braced Frames (EBF) And Buckling Restrained Braced Frames (BRBF)

Recognized Expert in Structural Design of Research Laboratories to minimize floor vibrations.

President: Rutherford & Chekene Consulting Engineers (2000-2010)

Principal-in-Charge, or Project Manager for Significant Bay Area Buildings, including:
1. O’Connor Hospital San Jose (First EBF hospital in California)
2. Kaiser Hospital Stockton
3. Kaiser Hospital Vallejo
4. Laguna Honda Hospital San Francisco
5. SanJoaquin Memorial Hospital
6. Stanford Keck Sciences Building
7. Stanford Gilbert Bio-Sciences
8. Stanford Lucas Center
9. Presidio Officers Club
10. UCSF Mission Bay: Genentech Hall and QB3
11. UCSF Mission Bay Hospital
12. Gladstone Institutes Building at Mission Bay
13. Pixar Animation Studios Emeryville (Seismic Isolation)
14. CA DHS Laboratories Richmond
15. UCB Stanley Hall
16. LBNL Berkeley Molecular Foundry Building
17. UC Davis Mondavi Oenology Building
18. UCSC Earth and Marine Sciences
19. Numerous Peer Reviews for UCB, UC Davis, Stanford
20. Numerous Seismic Evaluations for UCB, UCD, Stanford

Awards & Accomplishments
  • SEAONC Fellow
  • SEAONC Honorary Member
  • SEAOC Fellow
Related Engineer(s)
Related Organization(s)
Related Structure(s)
  • Stanford Keck Science Building
  • Stanford Gilbert Bio-Sciences
  • Stanford Lucas Center
  • UCSF Mission Bay Hospital
  • Pixar Animation Studio