Integrated Facility Services (IFS) was the mechanical and fire protection contractor for the three-year project to provide additional shelter-in-place opportunities and safe exiting for the Robert A. Young Federal Building’s 3,000 occupants in the event of an earthquake.IFS relocated, replaced and braced mechanical systems, VAV boxes, HVAC ductwork, piping, fire protection and plumbing to accommodate new structural steel braces and seismic dampers that were installed.The project represented the first use of seismic dampers in a St. Louis building retrofit and the GSA’s first time using this alternative approach compared to more traditional seismic renovation methods. The design-build team’s innovative solution combined viscous dampers, steel braces and steel sheer walls, enabling all work to be completed while the building was 100 percent occupied by employees from 48 separate government agencies.Originally constructed in the early 1930s, the 20-story, one-million-square-foot brick and terracotta building faces potential seismic hazards because of its location within the New Madrid fault zone.