This hillside building design is based on a series of accessible spatial strategies.

          Conservancy center of Golden Gate National Park faces the Pacific Ocean at the west end of San Francisco. The project site, as was previously Sutro’s botanical garden, declines from city’s periphery all the way down to the ruins of Sutro Bath in front of the sea. Flora and fauna takes over the land after the collapse of Sutro family’s business over time and now the area is a famous vista point for San Franciscans.

          In the design, accessibility is the core concept. As the slope of the site has the gradient that is greater than handicapped-accessible ramp, to resolve the difficulty of establishing universal accessible space becomes the drive of the design. The stitching form becomes the solution that it stretches the slope length and retards the slope. In the plan, the building form can be seen as two “Z” shapes overlay and intersect with each other on the site. The shorter “Z” (with steeper slope) transforms to the interior space; and the longer “Z” (with slighter slope) becomes exterior circulation. The exterior pathway cuts the interior space and divides it into separated spaces. The programs are placed into each subdivided space according to the demand for public to access. 

          The Conservancy Center is equipped with an indoor elevator from upper to middle level to achieve universal accessibility . The outdoor space is, however, fully universal accessible and provides the road to the water front on the bottom of the slope 24/7 hand hence replace of the existing hilly dirt path. In terms of respecting the nature, the whole building bridges above the site to to certain extend preserve the existing natural condition. The building and the outdoor path also provide the opportunity for the visitors to take a closer look at the exotic plant species. Potentially, visitors can also get off the building and get on the land, too. The Conservancy Center acts as a threshold, or a transitional tunnel from the orthogonal urban environment to the organic nature.