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1000’s of San Francisco Buildings Might Face Earthquake Danger – NBC Bay Space

More than 3,000 concrete buildings in San Francisco could be at high risk of collapsing in the event of a major earthquake, according to a preliminary city government blueprint shared with NBC News.

Commissioned in 1924, the San Francisco Chronicle Building on Mission Street was constructed of concrete and is one of the older buildings on the city’s list for evaluation and potential retrofit.

“This is a draft inventory, it’s just a list of older concrete buildings that have the potential for this non-ductile concrete weakness,” said Megan Stringer, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California.

She leads the group of civil engineers working with the city to develop a plan to identify and rehabilitate older concrete buildings in San Francisco.

She said some of these buildings, such as the Twitter headquarters, date from the 1990s or earlier, and don’t have enough rebar in the concrete to make them earthquake-proof.

“We are working to repair these buildings. We know it’s an issue and we’re working to fix it,” Stringer said.

Not every building on the design list published on NBC News needs an upgrade, and some are listed inadvertently, according to Stringer. The final draft is still in progress.

In a statement to NBC Bay Area, Brian Strong, San Francisco’s chief resilience officer, noted that “a building’s listing does not necessarily mean that the building is at greater risk compared to other buildings from the same era.” We look forward to sharing more information and engaging with building owners and community members to better understand which buildings may be most at risk,” he said.

The city is also working with housing advocates like Maria Zamudio to ensure tenants aren’t pushed out by the redevelopment of some apartment buildings.

“Full and proper notification to tenants to ensure a move is being considered,” said the organizing director of the Housing Rights Committee in San Francisco.

When a draft regulation with plans for the concrete buildings is published this summer, the public will have a chance to comment before the final version is finalized.

Read Strong’s full statement below:

“The city is developing a concrete building safety program in collaboration with national experts and local stakeholders. The program strengthens San Francisco’s efforts to protect life and safety and make our city more resilient in the event of a major earthquake.

It’s important to note that this list, in its current form, is a preliminary draft to help us get started. The inclusion of a building on the list does not necessarily mean that the building is at a higher risk than other buildings from the same period. We look forward to sharing more information and engaging with building owners and community members to better understand which buildings are at risk.”

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