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 buildingās architecture (by Heller Manus), residential interior design (byĀ 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 buildingās MEP systems. The building features a sawtooth curtainwall, passive solar energy, and a water-recycling system. Itās the only residential tower in San Francisco to be pre-certified LEED Platinum.
āThe 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,ā said Matt Lituchy, CIO of Jay Paul Company.
181 Fremontās calling card is its claim that a seismic event wouldnāt disrupt the buildingās 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.
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