John Hancock Tower
Boston, MA
Shortly after the completion of construction, the 60-story, 790-foot mirror-glass John Hancock Tower experienced structural stress resulting in extreme window failure. SGH evaluated the performance of the building and how it responded to wind, and analyzed the pressure and stress on the glass surfaces. Post-breakage analysis of the glass fracture surfaces proved that the fracture was due to the design of the insulating glass units. Ten thousand dual-pane insulating glass units were replaced with fully tempered monolithic glass. The glass breakage continues to date, but has been stabilized by a clear plastic film that is clamped into the surrounding metal framing. This film prevents the glass from falling below and captures the fracture origins. SGH provided testimony on the cause of the original glass breakage.
Service Provided:
Investigation
Supporting Capabilities:
Building Envelope Engineering
Structural Engineering
