SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco officials ordered an inspection of façades for buildings that are 15 stories or taller and that were built after 1998 on Tuesday, April 4. The order comes after the city was battered by heavy windstorms that resulted in damaged buildings.
Under this new order, building owners are required to provide a licensed architect or engineer evaluation of the entire building façade to ensure the safety and stability of all elements, including windows. The new requirement will apply to 71 buildings.
The reports will be due six months after receipt of a letter notifying the property owners of the new requirement.
“While we are endeavoring to understand what caused the recent window failures in half a dozen buildings downtown, this legislation will ensure all tall buildings are immediately inspected and made secure,” said San Francsico Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin.
During the storms that occurred in March, a total of five buildings in downtown San Francisco had glass failure. Those buildings include:
-1400 Mission (one broken window)
-50 California (one broken window)
-301 Mission, Millennium Tower (one broken window)
-350 Mission (one broken window on every floor from 11 through 30)
-555 California, the Bank of America building, (43rd floor two windows broken)
