The Briefing Room

General Category => Economy/Business => Topic started by: Weird Tolkienish Figure on February 01, 2018, 04:51:35 pm

Title: Test Drilling Launched at the Sinking Millennium Tower
Post by: Weird Tolkienish Figure on February 01, 2018, 04:51:35 pm
Quote
If test results are promising and the plan passes muster, engineers would bore some 100 to 150 holes through the tower’s 10-foot-thick, steel-reinforced concrete foundation.

Who will pay for that fix is still unclear, as there is a massive legal battle over the building’s troubles.

The so-called micropile strategy is not new; it was used to shore up the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, which sank some 18 inches during construction before being stabilized by more than 500 micropiles.

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/Test-Drilling-at-the-Sinking-Millennium-Tower-472069803.html (https://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/Test-Drilling-at-the-Sinking-Millennium-Tower-472069803.html)
Title: Re: Test Drilling Launched at the Sinking Millennium Tower
Post by: Frank Cannon on February 01, 2018, 05:01:55 pm
Sinking isn't even the worse part about this train wreck building. It is full of fire safety violations. The silly rich Libs that bought into this place are selling their 10 million dollar units for $300K just to get out. Screw all parties involved in this.
Title: Re: Test Drilling Launched at the Sinking Millennium Tower
Post by: Weird Tolkienish Figure on February 01, 2018, 05:08:02 pm
Sinking isn't even the worse part about this train wreck building. It is full of fire safety violations. The silly rich Libs that bought into this place are selling their 10 million dollar units for $300K just to get out. Screw all parties involved in this.

Apparently you're right. The tilting exposed gaps in the curtain wall according to the article:

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Millennium-Tower-Cited-for-Fire-Safety-Danger-468089693.html (https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Millennium-Tower-Cited-for-Fire-Safety-Danger-468089693.html)

Man, it just might be cheaper to dynamite the thing and start over at this point.
Title: Re: Test Drilling Launched at the Sinking Millennium Tower
Post by: Frank Cannon on February 01, 2018, 05:13:30 pm
Apparently you're right. The tilting exposed gaps in the curtain wall according to the article:

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Millennium-Tower-Cited-for-Fire-Safety-Danger-468089693.html (https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Millennium-Tower-Cited-for-Fire-Safety-Danger-468089693.html)

Man, it just might be cheaper to dynamite the thing and start over at this point.

This story has been going on for years. The Libs that run that shithole city let these clowns build the foundation on sand instead of down to bedrock and then started digging up the ground next to it to dig a tunnel. A 4 year old in a sandbox could figure out that is a bad idea. Now they claim it is still safe to live in. What if there is a mild earthquake? I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it.
Title: Re: Test Drilling Launched at the Sinking Millennium Tower
Post by: endicom on February 01, 2018, 05:21:26 pm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_raft_system (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_raft_system)

https://www.quora.com/Do-foundations-of-skyscrapers-sink-into-the-ground (https://www.quora.com/Do-foundations-of-skyscrapers-sink-into-the-ground)
Title: Re: Test Drilling Launched at the Sinking Millennium Tower
Post by: Fishrrman on February 02, 2018, 01:51:40 am
"If test results are promising and the plan passes muster, engineers would bore some 100 to 150 holes through the tower’s 10-foot-thick, steel-reinforced concrete foundation."

That's a great idea.
Bore holes into a foundation that's already unstable.

One good earthquake, even a "medium strength" one, and that building could topple right over whole...
Title: Re: Test Drilling Launched at the Sinking Millennium Tower
Post by: IsailedawayfromFR on February 05, 2018, 03:44:31 am
Even in the soft earth of Southern Louisiana people know to build a solid foundation before any building is constructed.

Bet the building is leaning left.
Title: Re: Test Drilling Launched at the Sinking Millennium Tower
Post by: RoosGirl on February 05, 2018, 04:01:01 am
This story has been going on for years. The Libs that run that shithole city let these clowns build the foundation on sand instead of down to bedrock and then started digging up the ground next to it to dig a tunnel. A 4 year old in a sandbox could figure out that is a bad idea. Now they claim it is still safe to live in. What if there is a mild earthquake? I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it.

I remember reading a bit about this when the story first came out.  As I recall the kind of foundation used on this building is common and that the problems with this building are possibly attributable to either an incorrect Geotechnical Engineer analysis of the on-site soils or incorrect calculations.  Could be a little of both.  I don't know if what exactly went wrong was ever solved.  Glad I've never been an engineer for a project like this!