By installing a pilot pile for the settling Millennium Tower's troubled foundation repair, Shimmick Construction hopes to prove the efficacy of revised construction methods so that work can continue without triggering accelerated building settlement.

San Francisco Dept. of Building Inspection advises the Millennium Tower homeowners association to “refrain from resuming” the pile foundation retrofit for the settling 645-ft-tall condominium until a new approach to the fix is reviewed by the city.

With the lengthy and complex permitting and approval process complete and almost all the other details worked out, construction could begin in mid-November on the estimated $100-million fix for San Francisco's 645-ft-tall Millennium Tower, which has settled more than 17 in. since its completion in 2009.