The developer of 181 Fremont, a 70-story residential and office tower being built in San Francisco, claims this will be the most earthquake-resistant building on the West Coast when it is completed in the summer of 2017.
Jay Paul Company acquired this development from SKS Investments in 2013, and estimates its cost at $665 million. The Class A building will include 432,000 sf of office space, 67 luxury condos on its top 17 floors, and 3,000 sf of retail space.
The building’s architecture (by Heller Manus), residential interior design (by Orlando Diaz-Azcuy) and engineering (by Arup) revolve around a unique megabrace that, according to the developer, would virtually eliminate structural damage from a significant (i.e., 500-year) earthquake. Jay Paul also believes this design could set new standards for earthquake resilience for urban development.
The resilience-based design focuses on saving lives and minimizing structural damage, property loss, and protection of the building’s MEP systems. The building features a sawtooth curtainwall, passive solar energy, and a water-recycling system. It’s the only residential tower in San Francisco to be pre-certified LEED Platinum.
“The seismic design is consistent with our approach to position 181 Fremont as the preeminent tower in San Francisco in every aspect of design and development,” said Matt Lituchy, CIO of Jay Paul Company.
181 Fremont’s calling card is its claim that a seismic event wouldn’t disrupt the building’s business continuity. Occupants and businesses would be able to return to the tower with complete access to business operations, and the building would be fully functional again, within one month. The elevator systems are also designed for continuous operation during a catastrophic event, with contingencies for emergency evacuations.
The tower is adjacent to the new Transbay Transit Center.
Related Stories
| Jan 20, 2015
Avery Associates unveils plans for London's second-tallest tower
The 270-meter tower, dubbed the No. 1 Undershaft, will stand next to the city's "Cheesegrater" building.
| Jan 13, 2015
A new record: 97 buildings taller than 200 meters completed in 2014
Last year was a record-breaking year for high-rise construction, with 97 tall buildings completed worldwide, including 11 "supertalls," according to a new report from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Jan 9, 2015
Technology and media tenants, not financial companies, fill up One World Trade Center
The financial sector has almost no presence in the new tower, with creative and media companies, such as magazine publisher Conde Nast, dominating the vast majority of leased space.
| Dec 28, 2014
Robots, drones, and printed buildings: The promise of automated construction
Building Teams across the globe are employing advanced robotics to simplify what is inherently a complex, messy process—construction.
| Dec 27, 2014
'Core-first' construction technique cuts costs, saves time on NYC high-rise project
When Plaza Construction first introduced the concept of "core first" in managing the construction of a major office building, the procedure of pouring concrete prior to erecting a steel frame had never been done in New York City.
| Dec 22, 2014
Studio Gang to design Chicago’s third-tallest skyscraper
The first U.S. real-estate investment by The Wanda Group, owned by China’s richest man, will be an 88-story, 1,148-ft-tall mixed-use tower designed by Jeanne Gang.
| Dec 18, 2014
11 new highs for tall buildings: CTBUH recaps the year's top moments in skyscraper construction
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat cherrypicked the top moments from 2014, including a record concrete pour, a cautionary note about high-rise development, and two men's daring feat.
| Dec 17, 2014
11 predictions for high-rise construction in 2015
In its annual forecast, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat predicts that 2015 will be the "Year of the Woodscraper," and that New York’s troubled B2 modular high-rise project will get back on track.
| Dec 16, 2014
'Wedding dress' tower to be tallest in Africa
The $1 billion tower will have 114 stories, alluding to the 114 chapters of the Koran.
| Dec 16, 2014
Architect Eli Attia sues Google over tall building technology
Attia and tech company Max Sound Corp. have brought a lawsuit against Google because of Flux, a Google X-developed startup launched in 2014. Flux creates software to design environmentally-friendly buildings in a cost-effective way.
