DGS Gregory Bateson Building Renovation

Coffman provided fire life safety consulting and smoke control design services for the renovation of the historic four-story Gregory Bateson Building. The office building was originally constructed in 1981 and was in need of a complete renovation to modernize and provide sustainable use of the existing structure. Completed in 2025, the renovation serves as the one of the first Progressive Design-Build projects done by the Department of General Services (DGS) in the state of California.

Coffman supported the project architect, Cannon Design, with code consulting, and provided smoke control design services for the general contractor, McCarthy Building Company. Smoke control services included design, modeling, and analysis to modernize the existing smoke control system in the four-story atrium to meet current smoke control standards and support the expanded assembly uses in the building. Due to the unique construction of the historical building, Coffman served as the fire protection engineer during construction administration to develop Engineering Judgments (EJs) for the floor assemblies, review, co-develop, and approve manufacturer developed EJs for penetrations and fire-resistive joints, and provide firestopping inspection oversight.

Photo credit: © Laura Peters/CannonDesign