THE FOUNDATION MADE THE DIFFERENCE
On Oct. 17, 1989, a massive earthquake struck the San Francisco area. Buildings built on solid ground sustained much less damage than those built on shaky ground.
The south pier of the Golden Gate Bridge sits directly on top of the San Andreas fault, yet it is one of the safest structure in that area. It was undamaged in that quake because the foundation of the bridge rests on towers at either end embedded in rock underneath the bay.
Many of you may remember the news footage from that time. You might recall the double-decker freeway in Oakland--directly across the bay from San Francisco--that collapsed. It was built on land that had been filled in. It all looked the same until the time of testing.
You need to answer two questions this morning before facing the rest of this new year. The first is: What are you building?
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