Completed in 2020, this two story, 36,000 SF industrial kitchen facility located in the Bayview District provides a high-profile identity for Meals on Wheels San Francisco. Challenged by an oddly shaped roughly triangular site and the requirement to accommodate an active loading dock, a designated pedestrian entry, and delivery van loading zones all safely within a tight urban footprint, JLA designed the building siting and massing to gracefully and safely accommodate these disparate functions. Inspired by the vitality of the organization and seniors they serve, the building takes cues from the organization’s graphic identity and provides a splash of color into the industrial landscape with bright green profiled metal siding contrasting with dark grey, ground face concrete masonry units. 

Since MOWSF prepares all meals from scratch, central to the design of the project is the functional flow of products from raw materials delivered by tractor trailers, to high bay refrigerated or dry storage areas, through the kitchen preparation rooms, to bulk production cooking line and cook-chill kitchen areas, to packing, sorting and storage to be ready for pick up by van delivery drivers to deliver throughout San Francisco. At the heart of the project is the 22,000 SF high-tech production kitchen for bulk meal production. High bay cold and ambient storage areas, loading docks, an employee cafeteria, rooftop deck, offices, and support spaces are included for the staff and operational needs of the facility.