Post by billhammond on Feb 7, 2022 15:32:35 GMT -5
New York Daily News
The Millennium Tower, a ritzy San Francisco building that is home to athletes, celebrities and Google employees, is leaning 26 inches to the side, a tilt that is expected to increase another three inches annually.
In just a few years’ time, the 58-story apartment tower could reach a tilt of 40 inches should it go without fixing. When it hits that point, the elevators and plumbing will likely stop working, according to Ron Hamburger, the engineer tasked with saving the infamous building.
Hamburger during a recent meeting before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors emphasized that the apartments remain safe despite the current lean. He added the best course forward is to install 18 steel piles to bedrock, which could not only prevent future tilting, but reverse some that has already occurred.
“The building does continue to settle at a rate of about one-half inch per year and to tilt at a rate of about three inches per year,” he told supervisors last week. “It is doing this whether we are conducting work at the site or not.”
In August, a $100 million plan to stabilize Millennium Tower and stop it from sinking was put on hold after the removal of earth to add stabilizing piles contributed to its lean. The project resulted in 10 inches of the tilt and about 2 inches of settlement, KNTV-TV reported.
The 645-foot tall luxury building first opened its doors in 2009, with all 419 apartments quickly selling out at millions apiece. Some of its more famous residents include former San Francisco 49er Joe Montana, late venture capitalist Tom Perkins and San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence.
Over the course of the next five years, Millennium Tower sunk 16 inches into the soft soil of San Francisco’s financial district. It also started to lean and by 2016 was already slanted 2 inches near the base and 6 inches at the top.
The building’s issues triggered a lawsuit by residents against the tower’s developers and designers. In it, they argued that their apartment units, some of them once valued as high as $5.1 million, were now worth almost nothing. They reached a confidential settlement, which included the $100 million project aimed at stabilizing the building, as well as a plan to compensate homeowners for their estimated losses.
The Millennium Tower, a ritzy San Francisco building that is home to athletes, celebrities and Google employees, is leaning 26 inches to the side, a tilt that is expected to increase another three inches annually.
In just a few years’ time, the 58-story apartment tower could reach a tilt of 40 inches should it go without fixing. When it hits that point, the elevators and plumbing will likely stop working, according to Ron Hamburger, the engineer tasked with saving the infamous building.
Hamburger during a recent meeting before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors emphasized that the apartments remain safe despite the current lean. He added the best course forward is to install 18 steel piles to bedrock, which could not only prevent future tilting, but reverse some that has already occurred.
“The building does continue to settle at a rate of about one-half inch per year and to tilt at a rate of about three inches per year,” he told supervisors last week. “It is doing this whether we are conducting work at the site or not.”
In August, a $100 million plan to stabilize Millennium Tower and stop it from sinking was put on hold after the removal of earth to add stabilizing piles contributed to its lean. The project resulted in 10 inches of the tilt and about 2 inches of settlement, KNTV-TV reported.
The 645-foot tall luxury building first opened its doors in 2009, with all 419 apartments quickly selling out at millions apiece. Some of its more famous residents include former San Francisco 49er Joe Montana, late venture capitalist Tom Perkins and San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence.
Over the course of the next five years, Millennium Tower sunk 16 inches into the soft soil of San Francisco’s financial district. It also started to lean and by 2016 was already slanted 2 inches near the base and 6 inches at the top.
The building’s issues triggered a lawsuit by residents against the tower’s developers and designers. In it, they argued that their apartment units, some of them once valued as high as $5.1 million, were now worth almost nothing. They reached a confidential settlement, which included the $100 million project aimed at stabilizing the building, as well as a plan to compensate homeowners for their estimated losses.
