In the case of an earthquake, the tower's crisscrossing joints are designed to behave like shock absorbers, reducing stress from seismic activity, according to the developer.
Matt Lituchy, the chief investment officer of the building's developer, Jay Paul Company, told Business Insider in 2016 that 181 Fremont was the most "resilient" building on the West Coast.
In the event of a major earthquake, residential and commercial tenants would be able to return and have complete access to the building within one month, according to Lituchy.
The developers of 181 Fremont describe the building as an "engineering marvel." An aluminum-based exoskeleton twists around the building to provide added support.
Here's a bird's eye view of the penthouse at 181 Fremont.
And there's good news for homebuyers who are concerned that a major earthquake, which is considered overdue in the San Francisco Bay Area, might ruin their property investment. ...
The building's interiors team spent months in Italy hand-picking Calacatta Carrara marble harvested from the seaside's quarry cliffs, which will cover the bathroom walls.
When standing at eye level, the walls appear to hover slightly. Suspended base walls aren't usually found outside museums, but designer Diaz-Azcuy liked the look of lightness.
Matt Lituchy, chief investment officer of the building's developer and landlord, Jay Paul Company, told Business Insider the suspended walls were a huge budget-suck.
"It's one of the first things designers want and developers throw out," Lituchy said. But the developer easily folded. "Whatever [Diaz-Azcuy] said, we went along with," he added.
The penthouse has a family room, two powder rooms, a breakfast nook, and a grand dining room. The kitchen features a sub-zero refrigerator and freezer, two dishwashers, double ovens, and countertops made of three-centimeter-thick slabs of Brazilian quartzite.
The developers of the building spared no expense. Residents will enter through a Paldao wood door. The polished brass handle was custom-forged by Parisian artists.
A full-floor, 6,941-square foot penthouse tops off the building. At $43 million, its asking price makes it the most expensive listing in San Francisco, according to Zillow.
Source: Zillow
The tower rises 70 stories over San Francisco's Financial District and will house 2,000 to 3,000 Facebook and Instagram employees across 436,000 square feet of office space.
Designer Orlando Diaz-Azcuy and architectural firm Heller Manus Architects set out to make 181 Fremont the epitome of luxury. It cost an estimated $665 million to build.
"The vision for 181 Fremont is not simply to raise the bar for luxury living in San Francisco, but to set an entirely new one," said a brochure for interested residential buyers.
