Torre Latinoamericana and compensated foundation
Torre Latinoamericana y cimentación compensada
- Date
- 1956 · confidence high
- Place
- Torre Latinoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico
- Credited to
- Leonardo Zeevaert (foundation engineering) and Augusto H. Álvarez (architect)
- Field
- Tools
What it is
A 44-storey, 182 m skyscraper built on lake clays with control piles and a compensated box, designed for seismic risk. It withstood the earthquakes of 1957, 1985 and 2017.
It is said to have been the first major skyscraper in a high-risk seismic zone; the claim is commonly repeated but not a settled question.
What it led to
- Seismic design of tall buildings on soft soils
- Soil mechanics applied to Mexico City
- Compensated foundation criteria