A luxury high-rise building in downtown San Francisco is tilting and sinking, possibly paving the way for a costly legal battle.

The Millennium Tower located at 301 Mission Street, was built in 2008, and boasts condos ranging from $1.6 million to $10 million, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

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Since completion, the 58-story building has sunk 16 inches and tilted two inches to the northwest, according to an independent consultant, the Chronicle reports.

While it’s normal for buildings to settle, the high-rise’s builders predicted the tower would only settle six inches over the course of its lifetime, according to a statement from the Transbay Joint Powers Authority.

Residents and a spokesman for Millenium Partners, the group that built the towers, allege that the high-rise is sinking because the city dug a massive hole next door, which will be home to the new Transbay Transit Center, KGO-TV reported. 

The Transbay Joint Powers Authority maintains that it “bears no responsibility for the tilt and excessive settlement,” according to a statement.

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A consultant hired by the Transbay Joint Powers Authority found that by the time city construction crews broke ground in 2010, the Millenium Tower had already settled 10 inches, the Chronicle reported.

The transit authority alleges that the building’s fate was sealed when its builders decided to support the structure on a foundation consisting “only of a concrete slab supported by short piles that fail to reach the bedrock below.”

“That foundation is inadequate to prevent settlement of a building with the weight of the Tower,” the transit authority said in a statement.

According to the statement, two similar buildings adjacent to the Transit Center site, are supported on piles drilled down to bedrock.

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Dozens of San Francisco residents, displaced after their high rise flooded over a year ago, got some bad news this week: those waiting to move back in will have to wait until next year at the earliest. 

“My initial reaction is definitely ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’” said Austin Caldwell. 

When it comes to returning to 33 Tehama, a luxury high-rise that he used to call home, Caldwell said it feels like the goal post keeps moving. 

He was one of the residents displaced from the South of Market building in June 2022 when it flooded. 

“I had stability in my life,” Caldwell said, “and the uncertainty and, honestly, the mayhem that that flooding caused in 2022 — it caused the big part of it, the downfall in my relationship. It changed my life.”

Caldwell said his decision to move on was reaffirmed after learning that residents who still want to return got a letter this week, letting them know that they’ll be waiting even longer. 

A spokesperson for the developer Hines, Sam Singer, said the delay is due to a combination of factors. 

“Getting the parts, getting the paperwork,” Singer said. “And it’s not the city’s fault, but it takes a while to get this done properly. It also takes time to get it done and permitted properly and that’s what is taking longer than assuredly the residents would like to have seen.”

Singer added that their hearts go out to residents and said that the owens have done everything they can to assist displaced residents. 

San Francisco’s 33 Tehama has been flooded out for months and residents of the luxury apartment building said they’ve had enough and more than 50 former tenants of the apartments have filed a lawsuit. NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathai spoke to Nazy Fahimi from the law firm Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy about what her clients are asking for.

An attorney representing about 90 tenants against the property owners, Nazy Fahimi, said the closure has dragged on for so long that some tenants have moved away. And even while some are counting the days until they can return, others are worried that something else might go wrong at the building. 

“Imagine being put out of your home,” said Fahimi. “Bad enough, right? But then the notion of ‘when is it going to be fixed,’ ‘when am I going to be able to come back,’ ‘when am I going to have some peace.’ “

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Most of the 31 high-rise window failures reported during March’s windstorms in San Francisco were found to have occurred long before the storms hit. This is according to an investigator’s report presented to the San Francisco Building Inspection Commission.

The report, conducted by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. investigators, discovered that dozens of the broken glass lites had previously been affected by heat or debris. Photo courtesy of Sharon Hahn Darlin.

Broken glass from compromised windows at several high-rise buildings crashed into the streets of downtown San Francisco during fierce windstorms this past winter. The winds, topping 75 mph, wreaked havoc on windows that were apparently already damaged due to existing issues. The report, conducted by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. investigators, discovered that dozens of the broken glass lites had previously been affected by heat or debris. There were also problems with window hardware and glass contamination.

“The report indicates that the glass failures were largely preventable and were primarily caused by existing broken windows that had not been repaired,” a San Francisco Department of Building Inspection spokesperson said in a written statement. “It is critical that building managers identify, secure and fix broken windows immediately so they don’t endanger the public or cause additional property damage, especially before a large storm.”

In the report, investigators recommended facade designers and contractors avoid using spandrel glass. They also recommended building owners adopt more specific systems for detecting, reviewing and documenting damage to building facades. Additionally, they suggest visual inspections of any building opening that contains glass be required at a five-year mark, following periodic facade inspections for buildings 15 stories or taller.

As a result of the findings, the San Francisco Building Inspection Commission plans to inspect all buildings 15 stories and taller constructed after 1998. Neville Pereira, deputy director of Permit Services, says the Commission is also considering local law changes to update its façade inspection program.

The report’s investigators found that the first reported window to fail, which broke free from the former Bank of America Building and fell more than 130 feet, suffered prior cracking damage due to heat stress. The investigators indicated the stress was likely the result of temperature changes between the center and the corner of the window, possibly due to contact with insulation.

Another instance, this time at the Millennium Tower, involved a 49th-floor window. The window broke free from its support arms and eventually shattered when it slammed against the building. Investigators learned the damaged system had faulty window hardware. Shards from the broken window shattered several windows below the site and broke 17 glass lites at the Salesforce East building.

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The Radio Tower and Hotel, the first completed US design by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, has opened in Manhattan with colourful, irregularly stacked structures.

It was designed jointly by Dutch firm MVRDV and local firm Stonehill Taylor, who acted as the lead architect. The 23-story tower was completed this year and opened in September, four years after the project started in 2018.

The radio tower and hotel feature stacked colorful boxes

The primary occupier of the building in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan is a 221-room hotel. The tower also contains a restaurant, shopping and office space for rent.

The different volumes of the building were dimensioned in such a way that they each have the same scale as the surrounding neighborhood buildings.

The building includes different rectilinear volumes

Each was also clad in a different color of brick, ranging from yellow, blue, orange, and green. According to the architects, this prevents the building construction from “overwhelming” the adjacent streets.

“The property is designed to stand out from the crowd and serve as a welcoming beacon for out-of-towners coming to Manhattan,” said Stonehill Taylor.

It is the first full-service hotel in Washington Heights, Manhattan

According to MVRDV, the colorful bricks in green, yellow, blue, orange and magenta also stand for the “diverse and lively” character of the district.

“The design of Radio Hotel and Tower is inspired by this character – we took the smaller blocks that are typical of the neighborhood and stacked them into a vertical village,” said MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas.

Colored accents can be found in the common rooms

According to the team, the Radio Hotel is the first full-service hotel to be built in Washington Heights.

“Although the neighborhood is the fifth largest in New York City, the Radio Hotel is the first-ever full-service hotel to open in the area,” said Stonehill Taylor.

The guest rooms have a restrained interior

Visitors to the building have access to a ground-floor courtyard that includes a small park, benches, and cafe tables.

A new Dominican restaurant, Jalao, occupies part of the ground floor and is open to both hotel guests and the general public.

The roof offers views of the surrounding neighborhood

A rooftop bar and observation deck offer views of the surrounding neighborhood and the nearby George Washington Bridge.

“The roof offers an expansive, 360-degree view of Lower Manhattan and Queens while providing a landmark at the George Washington Bridge’s connection to the Bronx,” the team said.

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The hotel’s guest rooms feature restrained interiors in the sleeping areas. Bathrooms, however, have light-colored walls and tiling that nod to the building’s colorful facade.

Similar pops of color can be found throughout the common spaces, including the lobby, corridors, and restrooms.

The hotel is MVRDV’s first project in the United States

Other upcoming projects for the company include contributing to the development of San Francisco’s Mission Rock district and an office building in Detroit dubbed the “Glass Mural,” whose facade is painted with vivid, cartoon-like graphics.

The Dutch company was founded in 1993 by Winy Maas, Nathalie de Vries and Jacob van Rijs.

The photograph is by Ossip van Duivenbode.

Project credits:

Stonehill Taylor design team: Paul Taylor (Managing Director), Steve Oakley (Director), Patrick Hebert (Architect), Victoria Janok-Scarpaci (Architect)
MVRDV design team: Fedor Bron, Mick van Gemert, Mark van den Ouden, Samuel Delgado, Ronald Kam, Fouad Addou, Daniele Zonta, Yassin Matni, Giuseppe Carosini and Giuseppe Campo Antico
landscape architect: Johanna Pertz
Interior design: APD Workshop, Simple Architecture
Client: Youngwoo & Partners

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The Radio Tower and Hotel, Dutch architecture studio MVRDV’s first completed US design, has opened in Manhattan, featuring colourful, irregularly stacked volumes.

It was designed collaboratively by Dutch firm MVRDV and local firm Stonehill Taylor, which acted as the architect of record. The 23-storey tower was completed this year and opened in September, four years after the project kicked off in 2018.

The Radio Tower and Hotel features stacked, colorful boxes

Located in the Upper Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood, the building’s primary occupant is a hotel with 221 rooms. The tower also contains a restaurant, shopping spaces and for-rent office space.

The building’s various volumes were sized to each have the same scale as the surrounding neighborhood buildings.

The building includes various rectilinear volumes

Each was also clad in a different brick colour, ranging from yellow, blue, orange and green. According to the architecture studios, this prevents the tall building from “overwhelming” the adjacent streets.

“The property is designed to stand out and serve as a welcoming beacon for out-of-towners coming into Manhattan,” said Stonehill Taylor.

It is the first full-service hotel in Washington Heights, Manhattan

According to MVRDV, the multi-colored bricks in green, yellow, blue, orange and magenta also represent the “diverse and vibrant” character of the neighborhood.

“The design of Radio Hotel and Tower is inspired by that character – we took the smaller blocks that are typical in the neighborhood and stacked them into a vertical village,” said MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas.

Colorful accents are found in the communal spaces

According to the team, the Radio Hotel is the first full-service hotel to be built in Washington Heights.

“Even though the neighborhood is the fifth largest in New York City, Radio Hotel is the first-ever full-service hotel to open in the area,” said Stonehill Taylor.

Guest rooms feature pared-back interiors

Visitors to the building have access to a ground-floor courtyard that includes a small park, benches and cafe tables.

A new Dominican restaurant, Jalao, occupies part of the ground floor and is open both to hotel guests and the public.

The rooftop features views of the surrounding neighborhood

On the rooftop, a bar and observation deck offer views of the surrounding neighborhood and the nearby George Washington Bridge.

“The rooftop offers sweeping, 360-degree views of lower Manhattan and Queens while providing a landmark gateway at the George Washington Bridge connection to the Bronx,” said the team.

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The hotel’s guest rooms feature pared-back interiors in the sleeping areas. The bathrooms, however, have bright walls and tiles that nod to the building’s colorful facade.

Similar colorful accents are found throughout the communal spaces, including the lobby, corridors and restrooms.

The hotel is MVRDV’s first project in the USA

Other upcoming projects by the firm include a contribution to the Mission Rock neighborhood development in San Francisco and an office building in Detroit dubbed “Glass Mural” with a facade painted with vivid, cartoonish graphics.

The Dutch firm was founded in 1993 by Winy Maas, Nathalie de Vries, and Jacob van Rijs.

The photography is by Ossip van Duivenbode.

Project credits:

Stonehill Taylor design team: Paul Taylor (managing principal), Steve Oakley (principal), Patrick Hebert (architect), Victoria Janok-Scarpaci (architect)
MVRDV design team: Fedor Bron, Mick van Gemert, Mark van den Ouden, Samuel Delgado, Ronald Kam, Fouad Addou, Daniele Zonta, Yassin Matni, Giuseppe Carosini and Giuseppe Campo Antico
Landscape architect: Joanna Pertz
Interior design: Workshop APD, Simples Arquitectura
client: Youngwoo & Associates

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 58-story luxury apartment building in San Francisco continues to sink, tilting at about 3 inches a year. The engineer responsible for repairing the problematic building says that without a repair, the luxury building’s incline could reach a pitch of 40 inches, which would be the point at which the elevators and plumbing would potentially stop working. KNTV-TV reports that the engineer told the San Francisco board of directors in an updated hearing last week that the building remains safe and that installing 18 steel piles on bedrock is the best way to stop the tilt and possibly one reverse part of it.

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SAN FRANCISCO – A 58-story luxury San Francisco apartment building continues to sink, sloping about three inches per year, said the engineer in charge of repairing the troubled building.

At the current pace with no fix, the Millennium Tower could reach a 40-inch (1 meter) slope in just a few years, which would be the point where the elevators and plumbing may stop working, said Ron Hamburger, the technician.

Hamburger told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in an update hearing last week that the building would remain secure and that installing 18 steel piles underground was the best way to stop the tipping and possibly reverse some of it, reported KNTV TV.

“The building continues to rise at a rate of about half an inch a year and lean at a rate of about three inches a year,” he told supervisors last week. “It does this whether we work on site or not.”

The Millennium Tower opened with fanfare in 2009 and all 419 apartments sold out quickly. Celebrity residents included former San Francisco 49er Joe Montana, late venture capitalist Tom Perkins, and San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence.

But by 2016, the building had sunk four inches into the soft ground and landfill of San Francisco’s dense financial district. It was also sloped, creating a 5 cm slope at the base and a 6 inch (15 cm) slope at the top. Local residents sued the developer and designers.

The post San Francisco luxurious high-rise tilting 3 inches per 12 months appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Posted: Jan 10, 2022 / 12:17 PM PST
/ Updated: Jan 10, 2022 / 12:17 PM PST

This September 26, 2016 photo shows the Millennium Tower in San Francisco. (AP Photo / Eric Risberg, File)

The Millennium Tower in San Francisco continues to sink, leaning about three inches a year, said the engineer in charge of repairing the troubled building.

Ron Hamburger said the luxury building’s slenderness at the current speed could reach a 40-inch slope, which would be the point where the elevators and plumbing might stop working, in just a few years without repair.

Hamburger told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in an update hearing last week that the building would remain secure and that installing 18 steel piles underground was the best way to stop the tipping and possibly reverse some of it, reported KNTV TV.

“The building continues to rise at a rate of about half an inch a year and lean at a rate of about three inches a year,” he told supervisors last week. “It does this regardless of whether we work on site or not.”

The 58-story tower opened to fanfare in 2009 and all 419 apartments quickly sold out. High profile residents included former San Francisco 49er Joe Montana, late venture capitalist Tom Perkins, and Giants outfielder Hunter Pence.

But by 2016, the building had sunk four inches into the soft ground and landfill of San Francisco’s dense financial district. It was also sloped, creating a 5 cm slope at the base and a 6 inch (15 cm) slope at the top. Local residents sued the developer and designers.

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This September 26, 2016 photo shows the Millennium Tower in San Francisco. A $ 100 million fix to keep the San Francisco luxury skyscraper from sinking and toppling even more is suspended while engineers try to figure out why the building fell another inch during the repair.

On this September 26, 2016, file photo, independent soil engineers are installing data collection equipment and taking soil samples outside of the Millennium Tower in San Francisco. A $ 100 million fix to keep the San Francisco luxury skyscraper from sinking and toppling even more is suspended while engineers try to figure out why the building fell another inch during the repair.

Associated press

SAN FRANCISCO – A $ 100 million fix to prevent a luxury San Francisco skyscraper from sinking and tipping even more is suspended while engineers try to figure out why the building fell another 2.5 centimeters during the repair .

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Doug Elmets, spokesman for the Millennium Tower, said in a statement that the pile installation to reinforce the building’s foundation has been suspended for two to four weeks in an attempt to understand why the “increased settlement rate and means available to mitigate it” is .

Elmets said the building was safe, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.

The 58-story tower opened to fanfare in 2009 and all 419 apartments quickly sold out. Celebrity residents included former San Francisco 49er Joe Montana, late venture capitalist Tom Perkins, and Giants outfielder Hunter Pence.

But by 2016, the building had sunk four inches into the soft ground and landfill of San Francisco’s dense financial district. It was also sloped, creating a 5 cm slope at the base and a 15 cm slope at the top. Local residents sued the developer and designers.

A confidential agreement reached with homeowners last year included $ 100 million to install 52 63,500 kilograms of concrete piles to anchor the building 76 meters into the bedrock. Piles provide foundation support.

The post New sinking in tilting San Francisco high-rise halts restore | State & Regional appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A $ 100 million fix to keep a luxury San Francisco skyscraper from sinking and toppling even more is on hold as engineers try to figure out why the building fell by another 2 while it was being repaired. Has dropped 5 centimeters.

Doug Elmets, spokesman for the Millennium Tower, said in a statement that the pile installation to reinforce the building’s foundation has been suspended for two to four weeks in an attempt to understand why the “increased settlement rate and means available to mitigate it” is .

Elmets said the building was secure.

The 58-story tower opened to fanfare in 2009 and all 419 apartments quickly sold out. Celebrity residents included former San Francisco 49er Joe Montana, late venture capitalist Tom Perkins, and Giants outfielder Hunter Pence.

But by 2016 the (40 centimeters) in the soft ground and the landfill of San Francisco’s dense financial district. It was also sloped, creating a 5 cm slope at the base and a 15 cm slope at the top. Local residents sued the developer and designers.

A confidential agreement reached with homeowners last year included $ 100 million to install 52 63,500 kilograms of concrete piles to anchor the building 76 meters into the bedrock. Piles provide foundation support.

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