After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake shut down the air traffic control tower at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the need for resilient infrastructure was clear to airport administrators, including in the design of SFO’s newly completed air traffic control tower. The new tower is designed to withstand a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, and features an innovative post-tensioning system that can clamp the structure back into place during a seismic event. This technology, combined with a reinforced concrete core and 40,000-pound steel damper blocks that protect the tower from wind, makes the structure a model of resilient engineering and ensures that the San Francisco International Airport will be safer and more reliable due to a control tower that stays in control even after an earthquake.
Gamechanger added in 2016.
