Millennium Tower is a skyscraper looming in San Francisco that has reportedly sunk 16 inches into the ground and has even begun to lean to one side. The beautiful blue building houses celebrities and wealthy people in condos ranging above $10 million.
An independent contractor was tasked with assessing the problems in the building and how to solve them. Currently, this majestic luxury skyscraper with 58 stories is tilted 2 inches northwest due to issues in the foundation of the building.
The analysis of the structure’s foundation and construction process have given civil engineers enough evidence of the issues the building might face subsequently. To stabilize the ground, the construction crew reportedly backfilled numerous muddy holes with aggregate and gravel. The building is located near the bay which means that the foundation would be predominantly muddy and sometimes, heavily saturated. Instead of the conventional steel structure, Millennium tower was constructed with the much heavier concrete beams and slabs.
Since the tower is near the bay, that makes it susceptible to frequent seismic activity which could be a serious problem if not fixed immediately. Current suggestion from engineers is to pump concrete below the building in hope that it will stabilize the foundation. Let’s hope that this fix is effective but it definitely won’t be an inexpensive one.