Level 10 Construction, the general contractor for 181 Fremont Street, announced today that it has completed 40 floors of the structural steel build-out for the building, with full completion of the structural steel scheduled for October 2016. The building’s unique structural steel brace sets new standards for earthquake resistance.

Steve DeWees, project executive for the 181 Fremont Street project, said the tower’s resilient support, designed by structural engineer Arup, allows the building to flex in a seismic event. “This design would virtually eliminate structural damage from a significant earthquake” said DeWees, “and would allow the building to be occupied the next day. It will be the most earthquake resistant building on the West Coast.”

Structural steel is being installed with the assistance of a Wolffkran 700 B Luffing tower crane, the first of its kind being used in the U.S. The 700 B Luffing tower crane is known for its ability to move extremely heavy loads at quick line speeds within a tight urban footprint.

“The Luffing tower crane is one of the only cranes made today that has the capacity needed for the size of steel that is being used in the construction of this building,” said DeWees.“We have had some very heavy picks that had the crane at its max capacity, around 105,000 pounds,” DeWees added. “We have heavy steel box columns on six corners of the building, and each segment is five inches thick. There are welded to a box and erected one to two floors at a time. Most cranes in the U.S. don’t have the capacity to pick that weight out at the furthest points.”

181 Fremont, an 802-foot-tall, 70-story luxury residential and office tower in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco, is set to transform the San Francisco skyline. Designed by Heller Manus Architects and developed by Jay Paul Company, the $540 million tower features a state of-the-art exoskeleton designed in a saw tooth pattern, with a magnificent spire that will ascend from the crown of the building. The building includes 432,000 square feet of Class A office space, as well as 67 luxury condos on the top 17 floors. It is pre-certified LEED platinum.

The lobby is being designed by FORM4 Architecture; the architect for the luxury residences is Hornberger + Worstell. Completion of the building is scheduled for July 2017.