San Francisco: The Latest Architecture and News

+ 16

• Architects

  Jordana Maisie Design Studio

• Location

  San Francisco, California, United States

• Category

  Store

• Area

  861.0 m2

• Project Year

  2019

• Photographs

  Carlos Chavarria

Studio Gang is celebrating a significant milestone with the topping out of their twisting high-rise MIRA tower in San Francisco. Construction of the 400-foot-tall tower began in mid-2017, with steady progression leading to projected occupancy in late 2019. The scheme's design is centered on the evolution of the bay window element, a feature common to San Francisco’s early houses. The bay window is reimagined in a high-rise context, twisting across the full height of the tower to offer views across the city.

+ 12

As the world recognizes Earth Day 2019, the public discourse is increasingly dominated by citizen action across the world manifesting a widespread fear and frustration at a perceived lack of action by governments and officials to confront the issue forthrightly. From the Extinction Rebellion protests that have gripped London, to school student strikes across 125 countries, global cities are increasingly finding themselves on the front line of a battle to limit the effects of global warming.

+ 18

• Architects

  Feldman Architecture

• Location

  San Francisco, California, United States

• Category

  Residential

• Area

  2995.0 ft2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Joe Fletcher

+ 23

• Architects

  Studio Sarah Willmer

• Location

  San Francisco, United States

• Category

  Renovation

• Lead Architect

  Sarah Willmer

• Area

  4470.0 ft2

• Project Year

  2016

• Photographs

  Jasper Sanidad

+ 28

• Architects

  John Maniscalco Architecture

• Location

  San Francisco, United States

• Category

  Houses

• Principal Designer

  John Maniscalco

• Project Architect

  Matt Williams

• Job Captain

  Mick Khavari

• Area

  6060.0 ft2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Blake Marvin, Joe Fletcher

+ 14

• Architects

  WRNS Studio

• Location

  755 Font Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94132, United States

• Category

  Recreation & Training

• Project Team

  Bryan Shiles, Mitch Fine, John Ruffo, Pauline Souza, Raul Garduño Ed Kim, Tim Morshead, Doug Hoffelt, Jang Lee

• Area

  118670.0 ft2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Jeremy Bittermann

+ 15

• Architects

  Studio O+A

• Location

  San Francisco, California, United States

• Category

  Extension

• O+A’s Team

  Primo Orpilla, Joseph Rodriguez, Rachelle Meneses, Nikki Hall, Alex Bautista, Amy Young, Nick Escalante, Ryan Barr, Erin Mallon

• General Contractor

  Principal Builders

• MEP Engineer

  WSP

• Structural Engineer

  PLM

• Fire safety

  The Fire Consultants

• Furniture Dealer

  COG

• Custom Furniture

  MASHstudios, Inc

• Area

  55646.0 ft2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Garrett Rowland

As architects face up to the need for ethical, sustainable design in the age of climate change awareness, timber architecture is making a comeback in a new, technologically impressive way. Largely overlooked in the age of Modernism, recent years have seen a plethora of advancements related to mass timber across the world. This year alone, Japan announced plans for a supertall wooden skyscraper in Tokyo by 2041, while the European continent has seen plans for the world’s largest timber building in the Netherlands, and the world’s tallest timber tower in Norway.

The potential for mass timber to become the dominant material of future sustainable cities has also gained traction in the United States throughout 2018. Evolving codes and the increasing availability of mass timber is inspiring firms, universities, and state legislators to research and invest in ambitious projects across the country.

With its historic but dilapidated waterfront, San Francisco has decided to restore the shoreline that could greatly influence the future of the city both environmentally and economically. The Port, contemplating between a piecemeal rebuilding pier-by-pier and a singular comprehensive construction of the waterfront, invited architecture and landscape firms to submit the reimagined proposals.

Global design firm HASSELL, known for their innovative recreational projects, envisioned an approach to preserve the significant history and culture of the pier while creating a sustainable green corridor in a playful manner. In order to activate the Embarcadero as an "interconnected greenway," HASSELL plans on developing the ecological areas along the waterfront as well as improving the accessibility between the recreational land with the surrounding transit hubs.

+ 12

+ 22

• Architects

  Edmonds + Lee Architects

• Location

  San Francisco, California, United States

• Category

  Residential

• Lead Interior Designers

  Edmonds + Lee Architects

• Other participants

  BDE

• Project Year

  2018

• Photographs

  Matthew Millman

+ 28

• Architects

  David Baker Architects

• Location

  San Francisco, California, United States

• Category

  Residential

• Interior Architecture

  Gelfand Partners Architects

• Project Year

  2016

• Photographs

  Bruce Damonte

+ 44

• Architects

  M-PROJECTS

• Location

  San Francisco, CA, United States

• Category

  Offices

• Lead Architects

  Amir Mortazavi of M-Projects

• Other participants

  Steve Mohebi

• Area

  13000.0 ft2

• Project Year

  2018

• Photographs

  Joe Fletcher, Sahra Jajarmikhayat

+ 26

• Architects

  Valerio Dewalt Train Associates

• Location

  San Francisco, CA, United States

• Category

  Offices Interiors

• Lead Architects

  William Turner, Matthew Gamache, Dana Stiernberg, Olivia Calalo, Mojdeh Kasraie

• Other participants

  Media Objectives at Valerio Dewalt Train (Branding and Experiential Graphic Design), Novo Construction (General Contractor), WBE (Electrical Contractor), Anderson, Rowe & Buckley, Inc. (Mechanical Contractor)

• Area

  34000.0 ft2

• Project Year

  2016

• Photographs

  Jasper Sanidad

• Architects

  Feldman Architecture

• Location

  San Francisco, CA, United States

• Category

  Adaptive reuse

• Design Team

  Taisuke Ikegami, Lindsey Theobald, Nick Polansky, Humbeen Geo

• Lighting Design

  Techlinea Lighting + Integration Design

• Area

  5000.0 ft2

• Photographs

  Adam Rouse Photography

In Metropolis Magazine's latest - and last - installment in their annual design cities review, the focus is not on output or culture but on cities themselves as the point of inspiration. For the designers surveyed, these were the cities that made their hearts beat a little faster; the ones that remained in their minds and wormed their way into their work.