SAN FRANCISCO—A historic San Francisco property, known as Building 12 will be lifted 10 feet above the ground in preparation for rising sea levels. The building weighs a total of 2,075 tons and is being lifted prior to renovations by Perkins and Will, an architecture firm.
Perkins and Will plans on expand the building from 118,890 square feet to 230,000 square feet, add a basement, second level, and mezzanine. Building 12 was constructed in 1941 for American shipbuilding during the second world war.
The building is being lifted in an effort to elevate a 23-acre neighborhood above the rising sea levels that are expected to increase between 30 and 130 centimeters by the year 2100. Sixty-eight shoring towers were installed to prop up the building with 136 hydraulic jacks which are being used to lift the building.
The process of lifting the building is expected to take approximately 2 weeks, but the preparation for the lift has taken a total of 9 months.
