ATC study urges targeted triggers, BORP expansion and new geotechnical guidance for San Francisco’s tall buildings

The Building Inspection Commission on Dec. 19 heard a presentation of a tall‑building safety strategy report prepared by the Applied Technology Council (ATC) that urges San Francisco to change how it inspects, evaluates and prepares its tallest, most complex buildings for earthquakes.

The report, presented to the commission by Brian Strong, the city’s chief resilience officer, and ATC experts, recommends amending triggers in the local building code so that building changes prompt an “evaluation scope” rather than automatic retrofits; developing an administrative bulletin for geotechnical foundation design; expanding and maintaining a city building database; and training a cadre of inspectors and volunteers specifically for tall buildings to speed post‑quake damage assessments.

Why it matters: taller downtown buildings now include many residential units and critical facilities whose prolonged closure after a quake would disrupt jobs and services. ATC advisers told the commission that programs such as BORP (Building Occupancy Resumption Program) and a tailored volunteer or peer‑review approach can reduce recovery time and avoid overly cautious yellow‑ or red‑tagging that can keep safe buildings offline.

Key findings and recommendations

ATC highlighted several concrete…