In Shaky San Francisco, Don't Get Too High

When selecting a design for San Francisco's new Transbay Terminal, planners and the public should be cautious of building too high in a seismically-active city, writes Harold Gilliam.

1 minute read

September 9, 2007, 11:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg

"We may wonder what late seismologist Charles Richter would say about the proposals for clusters of new towers of 50 to 80 stories in downtown San Francisco. At least one of them, being considered for the Transbay Terminal site at First and Mission streets, would be as high as New York's tallest, the Empire State building."

"There is no doubt that decisions to be made soon could open a new era in the city's history. Surely those decisions should not be made without full public participation and thoughtful consideration of all the consequences, including earthquake risks."

"If the city chooses the maximum high-rise route, it will be venturing into unexplored territory. There has been no experience anywhere on Earth with hyper-high-rise buildings in earthquakes of the magnitude expected for San Francisco (think 1906)."

FULL STORY: Consider earthquake risks of Transbay designs

Sunday, September 2, 2007 in The San Francisco Chronicle

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