Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design

Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeLarkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeLarkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Exterior Photography, FacadeLarkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeLarkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - More Images+ 12

  • Principal In Charge: Andrew Wolfram, AIA
  • Project Manager: Paul Cooper, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, DBIA
  • Project Designer: Justin Blinn, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
  • Exterior Lighting Designer: HLB Lighting
  • Energy Modeling: ZNE Consulting Thornton Tomasetti
  • Pg&E Design Supervision: urb-in
  • General Contractor : Plant Construction Company LP
  • City: San Francisco
  • Country: United States
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Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Mikiko Kikuyama

Text description provided by the architects. The newly completed electrical switchgear building is the first Net Zero Energy (NZE) targeted electrical substation building in the United States.  Tucked midblock on Eddy Street between Larkin and Hyde, the steel frame concrete structure is a modern addition to the existing historic 1962 substation building designed by PG&E to supply power to the northeastern part of the City. 

Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Image 14 of 17
Plan - Ground floor
Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Image 15 of 17
Axonometric

The constrained property and need to accommodate crane and equipment lift access prescribed the expansion’s perpendicular orientation to the existing substation. The utilitarian structure features street-facing façades that integrate three types of GFRP panels – sloped, perforated, and ribbed – to form a faceted surface that belies its otherwise modest materiality.  Each panel is individually crafted and unique, with ribs that cast linear shadow patterns in sunlight, creating an ever-changing surface throughout the day and year. 

Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Mikiko Kikuyama
Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Mikiko Kikuyama

Sloped panels embedded with lighting fixtures pulsate across the building at night, expressing the City’s dynamic electrical power grid. The west-facing green wall, planted in a geometric pattern that echoes the faceted concrete walls, provides biophilic relief to the urban block while asserting its contribution to green values. A fine-grained metal mesh provides a transition between the existing and new addition and is also used to bookend the façade.

Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Image 16 of 17
Sustainability

On top, 60 kW solar panel arrays offset the building’s energy consumption.  Large vents at the base of the building exploit the City’s cool temperatures through natural ventilation that help eliminate the need for artificial cooling and reduce the building’s energy load by nearly 40 percent.  Inside, supplemental fans, triggered only at high temperatures, help to cool the building only when needed.  A comprehensive deep dive to understand the electrical needs of each discreet piece of equipment – from mechanical systems to the hand dryer in the restrooms – led to an incremental load reduction.

Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Mikiko Kikuyama

The PG&E Larkin Substation addition is the first targeted net-zero electrical switchgear utility building to get a rating from the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Living Building Challenge.  The design team collaborated with ILFI in order to establish a rating system for registering the unprecedented building type.

Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Mikiko Kikuyama

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Project location

Address:San Francisco, California, United States

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Larkin Street Substation Expansion / TEF Design" 16 Jan 2021. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/954652/larkin-street-substation-expansion-tef-design> ISSN 0719-8884

© Mikiko Kikuyama

Larkin 街变电站扩建 / TEF Design

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