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San Francisco: The Latest Architecture and News

New York, Milan, and Venice Amongst Participants in C40's Reinventing Cities Competition 2024

“Reinventing Cities,” C40’s renowned global design competition, has just announced its fourth edition. The competition’s main goal is to “transform underutilized sites or buildings into beacons of sustainability and resilience and act as a showcase for future zero-carbon urban developments.” This year, 15 cities have stepped up the challenge, inviting professionals from various disciplines to reimagine underutilized urban sites and design transformations prioritizing sustainability and inclusivity.

With a commitment to zero-carbon, urban resilient projects, Reinventing Cities has engaged over 3,500 businesses worldwide with 40 projects currently under development globally. This year’s competition is characterized by its ambitious environmental and social objectives; with participating cities spanning continents, including Almere, Bilbao, Bologna, Brussels, Glasgow, Milan, New York, Palermo, Renca, Rome, San Antonio, San Francisco, São Paulo, Seattle, and Venice.

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San Francisco’s Love Affair With the Ferry Building

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Can telling the story of one building tell a larger story about the city it’s a part of? That’s the central premise of John King’s engaging new book, Portal: San Francisco’s Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities (W.W. Norton). The long-time urban design critic for the San Francisco Chronicle has written a brisk, lively history of this beloved edifice, which opened in 1898 and served as the principal gateway to the city until the emergence of the automobile (and the bridges that served them).

For decades it sat largely empty and neglected, cordoned off by the Embarcadero Freeway. After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, the damaged highway was eventually removed, freeing up the Ferry Building, which was given new life as a transportation hub, food hall, and office building. Last week I talked to King about the genesis for the book, the terminal’s seminal importance to the city of San Francisco, and the threat it faces from rising sea levels.

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Our Cities Aren’t Dead Yet!

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

It has been a bull market for downbeat urban reporting since the pandemic arrived in town. And it isn’t hard to see why. In 2020, central U.S. cities went from “comeback” success stories to ghost towns; transit lost nearly all ridership; tens of thousands of stores and restaurants shuttered; and many of the affluent decamped to the suburbs and distant Zoom towns. 

The Canyon / MVRDV

The Canyon / MVRDV - Exterior Photography, Retail , Facade, Cityscape, CoastThe Canyon / MVRDV - Exterior Photography, Retail , FacadeThe Canyon / MVRDV - Exterior Photography, Retail , FacadeThe Canyon / MVRDV - Interior Photography, Retail , Kitchen, Countertop, Table, Sink, ChairThe Canyon / MVRDV - More Images+ 15

Architect and Women’s Advocate Beverly Willis Passes Away at 95

American architect and tireless advocate for gender equality Beverly Willis passed away on October 1, 2023, at the age of 95, as reported by The New York Times. Throughout her career, she was dedicated to breaking down barriers for women in a traditionally male-dominated profession. She ran an accomplished studio in San Francisco, having completed over 800 projects across the US, and established a Foundation for recognizing and promoting women in architecture. Across various programs and scales, her designs have gained national recognition for their humanistic concern for the occupant and for adapting historic buildings to modern purposes, a practice now known as adaptive reuse.

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Silver Lining House / Mork-Ulnes Architects

Silver Lining House / Mork-Ulnes Architects  - Exterior Photography, Houses, FacadeSilver Lining House / Mork-Ulnes Architects  - Exterior Photography, Houses, Facade, Stairs, HandrailSilver Lining House / Mork-Ulnes Architects  - Interior Photography, Houses, Kitchen, Facade, Fence, Table, Chair, CountertopSilver Lining House / Mork-Ulnes Architects  - Interior Photography, Houses, Bedroom, Facade, Beam, Arch, Table, Lighting, ChairSilver Lining House / Mork-Ulnes Architects  - More Images+ 22

San Francisco, United States

Uber Headquarters / SHoP Architects

Uber Headquarters / SHoP Architects - Exterior Photography, Office Buildings, Facade, CityscapeUber Headquarters / SHoP Architects - Exterior Photography, Office Buildings, FacadeUber Headquarters / SHoP Architects - Interior Photography, Office Buildings, Facade, BeamUber Headquarters / SHoP Architects - Interior Photography, Office Buildings, Facade, BeamUber Headquarters / SHoP Architects - More Images+ 4

  • Architects: SHoP Architects
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  423000 ft²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2022

Cities Embrace Climate Action Planning to Mitigate the Adverse Effects of Climate Change

Cities across the globe are developing comprehensive action plans in order to create a coordinated response to the challenges of climate change. Targets and goals for consumption-based emissions are important for guiding strategic planning and decision-making, improving accountability, and communicating the direction of travel to businesses and the public. National and regional government officials are working with the private sector, international organizations, and civil society to create change at every level, from structural interventions in supply chains and industries to individual choices.  This demonstrates a rising understanding of the role of cities in mitigating the adverse effects of rising temperatures.

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OMA/Jason Long and Y.A. Studio's Affordable Housing Scheme Breaks Ground in San Francisco

The result of a collaboration between OMA / Jason Long and Y.A. studio, the joint development of 730 Stanyan in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco broke ground. Upon completion, the 8-story building will accommodate 160 units of deeply affordable homes and amenities for low-income people, including formerly unhoused families, and homes and amenities for people with low incomes in San Francisco, including families, formerly unhoused families, and Transitional Age Youth (TAY). The project is scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2025.

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Translucence House / Fougeron Architecture

Translucence House / Fougeron Architecture - Interior Photography, House Interiors
© Joe Fletcher

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Foster + Partners and Arup Design Stations for California High Speed Rail

Foster + Partners and Arup have chosen to work together to design the Merced, Fresno, Kings/Tulare, and Bakersfield stations that will service high-speed train passengers on the first 171-mile leg of California High-Speed train (CA HSR). The Central Valley stations will be the grand entrances to America's first high-speed rail stretch, marking an important step towards providing all Californians with sustainable, carbon-free transportation. Planning, architecture, and engineering for the four new stations, which will serve as design templates for stations planned for the whole 500-mile Los Angeles/Anaheim to San Francisco line, are being done jointly by Foster + Partners and Arup.

The California high-speed rail will connect the state's mega-regions, promote economic growth and a cleaner environment, foster job growth, and conserve agricultural and protected lands. With up to 200 mph speeds, the system can travel from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin in less than three hours. The Authority is collaborating with regional partners to implement a state-wide rail modernization plan that will spend billions of dollars on local and regional rail lines.

SOM Breaks Ground on New American Buddhist Cultural Society Temple in San Francisco

Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the new American Buddhist Cultural Society Temple, also known as the San Bao Temple, has broken ground in San Francisco, California. Located on Van Ness Avenue, the new six-story facility will include a community center, a Buddhist shrine, and a meditation room on the upper levels, along with three levels of private dormitories for visiting monastics and volunteers. In the center of the building, a light-filled atrium offers additional amenities, such as a public art gallery, bookstore, teahouse, and community gathering hall. The temple is expected to open by the end of 2024.

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Moscone Center Expansion / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill + Mark Cavagnero Associates

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Dolores Heights Residence / jones | haydu

Dolores Heights Residence / jones | haydu - Exterior Photography, Houses, Stairs, Facade, Door, Handrail
© Matthew Millman

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San Francisco, United States

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates

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