Plumbing

San Francisco’s Luxurious New Skyscraper Is Tilting 26 Inches

What’s to impress the 14th-century Leaning Tower of Pisa with its leaning when there is a modern building that leans even more? San Francisco’s Millennium Tower, one of the city’s most dazzling residential buildings, now leans more than two feet north and west and continues to lean at a rate of three inches per year as it sinks into the ground. In fact, it’s already dropped between 17 and 18 inches. If the problem is not addressed, the building could eventually tilt 40 inches, the maximum it takes to function and most likely for the elevators and plumbing to work.

The Millennium Tower is located in San Francisco’s Financial District at Fremont Street and Mission Street and adjacent to the Salesforce Transit Center and a bus terminal. It is a 58-story, 645-foot tower and the tallest residential building in the city. It debuted to fanfare in 2009 and has its fair share of illustrious residents, including sports figure Joe Montana and Giants outfielder Hunter Pence.

In a contradiction that defies all odds, data shows about 10 inches of the entire 26-inch dip happened last year after work to stop the sinking. In an investigative report, NBC Bay Area revealed that drill logs show a one to four day gap between drilling and grout installation. In the article, the NC Bay Area stated, “While Millennium Fix officials did not address the issue to the authorities, some outside experts say such delays in grouting may well explain the comparatively rapid settlement and inclination experienced during the August piling installation.” performed.”

Construction crews gather for a meeting while working on the Millennium Tower to stabilize the foundation of the 645-foot tower.

Photo: Getty Images/San Francisco Chronicle

Repair engineer Ron Hamburger has admitted his team didn’t instruct contractors they hired, Shimmick Construction, on how to keep the tower from sinking and tipping while they drilled and dug into the ground. He told city regulators, “The procedures for installing piles were basically the prerogative of the contractor.”

“We didn’t tell them how to install piles,” Hamburger continued. “We specified that we needed piles of a certain diameter and strength. And he basically made these as a design build to install the stakes where he laid out the methods he would use to install them.

At this point, Hamburger says installing 18 steel tubes on bedrock 250 feet below the tower is the best way to stop — and maybe even reverse — some of the tilt. “The building continues to settle at a rate of about half an inch per year and tilt at a rate of about three inches per year,” Hamburger said in a public statement. “This happens regardless of whether we work on site or not,” he continued. “While the building remains secure, we believe the project needs to resume construction and complete this construction quickly.”

The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection has approved Hamburger’s proposal to install the 18 pipes and plans to inspect them after the project is complete.

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