It was the year glass rained down on San Francisco.
But the broken glass falling from 50 stories in Downtown during storms last March wasn’t caused by windows buckling from the powerful gusts, the San Francisco Standard reported, citing a city investigation by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates.
The windows busted because of breaks and problems well before the storm, some of which were known by the buildings’ management.
The winds, which exceeded 77 miles per hour during the March storms, exacerbated the existing issues and rained glass and debris from seven Downtown buildings onto the streets, according to an investigator’s report presented at the San Francisco Building Inspection Commission.
One high-rise had a history of glass breakages caused by building-material contamination, investigators found. Managers at another tower had known about a window hardware problem for three years, but failed to fix it.
“The report indicates that the glass failures were largely preventable and were primarily caused by existing broken windows that had not been repaired,” a San Francisco Department of Building Inspection spokesperson said in a written statement.
In light of the findings, the department plans to inspect all 15-story-or-more buildings constructed since 1998 to identify window issues, the unidentified spokesperson said.
The Building Inspection Department may seek legislation to update its facade-inspection program, Deputy Director of Permit Services Neville Pereira said during a presentation.
The department has issued citations for each of the seven buildings that rained broken windows onto sidewalks below.
The department said fixes were made in towers at 580 California Street and 1390 Market Street.
Violations for 555 California Street, once known as the Bank of America Center; 301 Mission Street, also known as Millennium Tower; 350 Mission Street; and 1400 Mission Street are still pending, with several set to have hearings related to the broken windows.
In August, the department held a hearing regarding 50 California Street, then fined the building and ordered the owner to fix the windows. The fine, and the building owner, were undisclosed.
The broken windows investigation was conducted by engineering and architecture firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates. The buildings’ landlords or their managers declined to comment to the Standard.
— Dana Bartholomew
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