Archinect - News

A new LA Times map shows 6,000 structures in need of seismic retrofit across Los Angeles

2023-12-18T12:17:00-05:00

The LA Times recently debuted a useful map of seismic retrofit projects in major sections of the city months after official updates to the building code were enacted to address risks posed to soft-story and non-ductile concrete structures before 2033.

The map was made by surveying available records from Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Pasadena. More than 6,000 of the 16,000 buildings in the dataset are categorized as still requiring retrofits, including many homes and offices built before 1996.

Clusters of buildings in Pasadena’s Old Town and near the California Institute of Technology, most sections of Downtown LA and its nearby constituents (Koreatown, Jefferson Park, and Pico-Union), and a large swath of Hollywood between Beverly Hills and La Brea Avenue contain the majority of what has yet to receive seismic retrofits. The year ahead should see a decisive turnaround, as 60% of the yet-to-be-retrofitted soft-story buildings in the city are mandated to be completed ...

Cambridge researchers develop AI model to help retrofit and decarbonize housing

2023-11-02T11:45:00-04:00

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have unveiled a “first-of-its-kind AI model” that can help policymakers identify and prioritize houses for retrofitting and other decarbonizing measures. The deep learning model, trained by researchers from the university’s Department of Architecture, promises “to make it far easier, faster, and cheaper to identify these high-priority problem properties and develop strategies to improve their green credentials,” the team says.

The model and wider research centers on ‘hard-to-decarbonize’ (HtD) houses that, while responsible for a quarter of all direct housing emissions, are rarely identified or targeted for improvement. According to the team, the age, structure, location, availability of data, and socioeconomic context can all lead to a house being classified as HtD.

In response, a team including urban researcher and data scientist Maoran Sun and the university’s Sustainable Design group lead, Dr. Ronita Bardhan, has developed their AI mo...

Melbourne considers the future potential of high-rise parking areas as urban farms

2023-08-17T12:17:00-04:00

Urban farms and communal spaces are among the ideas for repurposing car park floors in Melbourne’s skyscrapers in the future, when it is predicted that residents will rely more on driverless and shared electric cars. The architects of Melbourne’s tallest building, Australia 108, have created designs envisioning the transformation of the building’s 10 levels of car parking into space for a vertical farm, beehives, water collection and storage, pet care, podcast studios, co-working and education.

Downtown Melbourne's potential future scenario of widely-available self-driving cars has developers rethinking millions of square feet worth of parking garages, and vertical farms are seen as a solution (along with housing, retail, and dining options). An amendment to its planning rules that would require new parking structure designs to include their retrofitting consideration has been proposed that would add an extra layer to the pedestrian-friendly ambit that mirrors policies in Oslo, Barcelona, and other global cities.

According to The Age, a 2019 City Council survey suggests an overwhelming majority (95%) of Melbourne residents support the idea of reducing vehicle traffic in Southbank by 2030.

Frankenthaler Climate Initiative announces $2.7 million worth of clean energy funding to 48 arts institutions

2023-08-10T16:56:00-04:00

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation has just announced the third cycle of its Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI), representing a total of $2.7 million in funding to 48 different visual arts organizations across the country for 2023.

Along with the announcement of this year’s awardees, the FCI is also now expanding its footprint to $15 million and extending itself to additional 2024 and 2025 cycles. The Foundation shares it has now conferred more than $10.8 million worth of funding since the program was first initiated in 2021.

The list of organizations receiving funding this year includes Maine’s expanding Portland Museum of Art; The Noguchi Museum and Pratt Institute in New York City; SITE Santa Fe; and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, among others in the cultural and education realms.

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African History in Detroit. Photo: Charles H. Wright Museum of African History

"2023 saw the largest number and most sophisticated project proposals to date, ...

SPARK and Arup create a retrofitted mall and education hub in the heart of Singapore's Selegie Arts District

2023-08-02T15:49:00-04:00

International architectural and design consultancy SPARK, alongside ARUP, has brought an eye-catching, youth-focused mall and education hub to the heart of Singapore’s Selegie Arts District. Situated between the adjacent School of the Arts Singapore (SOTA) and several long-standing shopping malls, this vibrant refurbished space serves as a new beacon for the surrounding area.

Entrance. Image: KhooGuoJie

Called GRiD, the project centered on the purpose of increasing asset value through social interaction, increased accessibility, and the celebration of self and community. The building was deliberately designed to stand out, with its neon-clad façade and supersized graphics. GRiD reimagines the corner that it sits after replacing what the architects described as an “unproductive 4-storey void.”

Atrium view. Image: KhooGuoJie

The new structure has a Tetris-like arrangement of stacked retail and dining volumes and terraces. The voided spaces encourage direct connections to the basement le...

London’s landmark Marks & Spencer department store gets a new life after court ruling

2023-07-20T17:26:00-04:00

A number of prominent architects had previously voiced their support for retrofitting the century-old store ahead of the inquiry, which began last October at the bequest of Secretary Michael Gove. Gove cited a concern for neighboring landmarks in the vicinity as part of his decision to strike down the retailer's demolition scheme in addition to its potential "lifetime carbon usage."

According to a report today in Bloomberg CityLab, "Marks & Spencer Group Plc will review its future as a fixture on London’s Oxford Street after losing government backing for a plan to demolish its flagship art deco store and rebuild a modern replacement [...] The case is a major win for the campaign group, which argued the 'handsome' building should be retrofitted rather than demolished, on the grounds that it would have a much lower environmental impact."

Advocates, including SAVE Britain's Heritage, hope the ruling will establish precedents by which the future of two dozen or so other "high street ti...

3XN GXN and British Land share new transformation project of London's Euston Tower

2023-07-13T13:57:00-04:00

3XN GXN, alongside property development company British Land, has announced that they are leading the redevelopment of London’s Euston Tower. Built in 1970, the commercial high-rise was viewed as a cutting-edge office space. However, changing tenancy needs have seen a gradual reduction in its inhabitants, leading to the building’s vacancy in 2021.

The aim for the renewed Euston Tower is to transform it into a pioneering, welcoming, net-zero workspace in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter. The project falls in line with the sustainability goals and expertise of British Land, the Greater London Authority and Borough of Camden, and 3XN GXN. As noted in a release, the joint vision for the project sets out to lead the way in low-carbon retrofit and construction techniques, as well as using inclusive design to support the workspaces and local community.

Image courtesy of 3XN GXN.

As stated by 3XN Senior Partner Audun Opdal, “We are proud to work on this highly progressive project and...

San Francisco has over 3,400 concrete buildings at risk of seismic collapse

2023-05-25T17:00:00-04:00

Famous historic sites, low-income apartments and Twitter's headquarters all appear on a previously unpublished draft list of 3,407 concrete buildings in San Francisco that may be at high risk of collapse in a major earthquake, according to a copy of a city government document obtained by NBC News through a public records request.

The city says the list is still a “preliminary draft inventory” of at-risk concrete structures, some of which were built after 2000, according to NBC. Who will actually pay for the mass retrofits still hasn’t been hammered out yet, leaving many to speculate as to its near-term feasibility. Some engineers expect the compliance effort to take decades. Current U.S. Geological Survey predictions state the Bay Area faces a 20% risk of suffering a 7.5 magnitude quake or higher in the next 30 years.

Twitter's potential move out of its historic Market Street headquarters (which is also one of the buildings on the list) is starting to make a lot more sense.

Los Angeles publishes list of 33 county-owned structures most at-risk in an earthquake

2023-03-30T11:49:00-04:00

In the wake of last month’s devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, Los Angeles County has identified some 33 important structures it says are the most at risk during a major seismic event of that magnitude.

Last week, the Board of Supervisors published a list of at-risk properties owned by the county that must be upgraded in line with modern standards over the next ten years, according to KTLA.

The county has already mandated changes to its building codes that call for similar upgrades to all non-ductile concrete high-rises and soft-story residential structures before the year 2033. Officials are wary of the “Big One” — a magnitude 7.8 or above quake — that would kill as many as 1,800 people and destroy an estimated 2,000 structures in the area per the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

“We never thought that spending the money on retrofitting these buildings was worth the risk,” U...

Retrofits could add $42 billion to the UK’s economy, report shows

2023-03-06T14:34:00-05:00

Retrofitting the UK’s historical buildings, from Georgian townhouses to the mills and factories that kickstarted the Industrial Revolution, could generate £35bn of economic output a year, create jobs and play a crucial role in achieving climate targets, research has found. The organisations behind the report are calling on the government to work with industry to [...] advice into a national retrofit strategy, as the UK only has half the skilled workers needed to retrofit all old buildings.

The report from a consortium that includes the National Trust, Historic England, and property group Grosvenor also outlined Britain’s need for 105,000 additional skilled workers to help meet the country’s lagging 2050 net zero decarbonization goals. By that time, the retrofitting market is anticipated to have a value of between £3.5 and £6.5 billion per year (equal to $4.2 and $7.8 billion in USD).

The UK has an underused levy for work programs to help meet the goals. Currently, there are an estimated 6.2 million homes in the country which are considered historic, with another one-third of all commercial buildings carrying the same designation.

[Y/N] Studio's East London retrofit offers a fresh start for the Bradbury Works community hub

2023-03-06T14:17:00-05:00

London-based [Y/N] Studio has just released photos of its new Bradbury Works retrofit commercial project in the Dalston neighborhood of the city's Hackney borough.

Located in Gillett Square, the scheme refurbished existing workspaces in a Victorian-era brick masonry building while adding ten new mini retail units and a two-story extension to provide increased usability and interaction between its tenants and their neighbors in the square.

While retaining the brick facade and retail spaces located on the terrace level of the structure, Y/N’s project team was able to add larger workspaces, each with private mezzanines, to the third floor while ensuring improved cross ventilation through the addition of a new access deck that also provides tenants with a sweeping view of the capital.

Image courtesy French and Tye

Another double-height covered external terrace is enacted between the retail component and third-floor workspaces. Finally, the design comes wrapp...

Los Angeles updates its building codes in wake of deadly Turkey-Syria earthquake

2023-03-02T12:30:00-05:00

Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to approve a motion requiring all non-ductile, concrete high-rise structures in LA County to be given seismic retrofits within the next ten years.

The motion applies to all incorporated communities in the county and must be codified by the directors of public works within six months according to the supervisors. The update comes as multiple LA media outlets reported widespread weak spots across the region in response to the February 6th Turkey-Syria Earthquake that killed more than 50,000.

Under the updated building codes, current building owners have a ten-year time period in which to submit structural evaluation assessments to the agency. Properties will either be retrofitted or demolished according to the language put forth by Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Hilda Solis.

“The county should follow the example of surrounding jurisdict...

Kenzo Tange's 'Boat Gymnasium' in Japan faces demolition

2023-02-21T14:52:00-05:00

An important Kenzo Tange design is facing an uncertain future in Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture after reports that authorities there are moving forward with the demolition of his 1964 “Boat Gymnasium” over disrepair and an apparent inability to fund seismic structural upgrades.

The Brutalist structure in Takamatsu was first shuttered in 2014 and has since been the subject of preservation pushes that unsuccessfully pressured the government to save the building, which shares many of the same stylistic elements as his masterwork Yoyogi National Gymnasium built the same year for the Olympic games in Tokyo.

The news comes almost a year removed from the final fate of the Kisho Kurokawa-designed Nakagin Capsule Tower, which is now being disbursed piecemeal to private enthusiasts and public collections after a long back-and-forth came to a close with preservationists on the losing end.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Bigjap (CC0 1.0)

The local Board of Education, which manages the gymnasi...

Architecture 2030's new CARE Tool helps measure the carbon reduction of retrofit projects

2023-02-15T14:38:00-05:00

A new metric measuring the amount of carbon reduced in reuse projects is changing the way practitioners of the built environment can quantify the success of retrofit projects of all types and sizes.

Architecture 2030’s new CARE (Carbon Avoided Retrofit Estimator) Tool is a way of providing valuable statistics that show the carbon savings of each project accurately and using a standardized methodology. Its tool was developed by Siegel and Strain Architects principal Larry Strain along with Architecture 2030’s Erin McDade and Goody Clancy’s Lori Ferriss and is already in use at several leading firms nationwide.

CARE Tool works by taking user inputs about energy targets and potential building interventions to estimate operational carbon emissions and embodied carbon emissions in each project.

According to the group: “Outputs are visualized as total embodied and operational em...

3XN completes 'world’s largest upcycled tower' in Sydney

2022-11-18T11:07:00-05:00

Copenhagen-based studio 3XN has completed Quay Quarter Tower in Sydney, Australia, described by the firm as the “world’s most comprehensive upcycling of an existing tower.” The scheme, which sees the retention and transformation of an existing 1970s tower near the city’s waterfront, was recently awarded the 2022 International High Rise Award for what the jury determined to be an “extraordinary combination of upcycling and densification.”

Situated on 50 Bridge Street, the project centers on the former AMP Centre, which, when constructed in 1976, was the tallest building in Sydney at 617 feet in height. The building’s transformation into the Quay Quarter Tower saw 3XN retain 65% of the original building’s structure, including beams, columns, and slabs, and 95% of its original core. In addition, new floorplates were added to the existing plates in order to double the usable area and increase the building’s capacity from 4,500 daily occupants to more than 10,000.

Image credit: Adam Mo...

New data reveals the growing state of adaptive reuse residential conversions nationwide

2022-11-10T17:57:00-05:00

In the last two years, apartment conversions jumped by 25% compared to two years prior. More precisely, this increasingly popular real estate niche brought a total of 28,000 new rentals in 2020-2021, well above the pre-pandemic years of 2018-2019 when 22,300 apartments were brought to life through adaptive reuse.

The new data set from real estate researchers Yardi Matrix gives some additional context to the information in yesterday’s 2022 AIA Firm Survey, which said that almost half (48%) of all projects currently being pursued by U.S. firms involve the renovation, rehabilitation, extension, or preservation of existing buildings.

An analysis of the data (which only concerns residential construction) shows that adaptive reuse schemes more than doubled (10% compared to 25%) the growth rate of new apartment construction in the country since the beginning of 2018.

The figures include an unsurprising 43% jump in the conversion of office buildings into apartments between 2020-2021 and 2018-19, representing some 40% of the whole. Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia are the leading cities for the method, and thus far in 2022, Los Angeles is leading all markets with a total of 1,242 converted a...

Almost half of architecture billings include work to existing buildings says AIA survey

2022-11-09T11:51:00-05:00

Design projects involving the renovation, rehabilitation, extension, or preservation of existing buildings account for 48% of billings at U.S. architecture firms according to an AIA survey. The findings, which form part of the 2022 AIA Firm Survey: The Business of Architecture, continues a trend which last year saw architects earn more from renovations than from new builds for the first time.

Institutional projects yielded the largest share of billings for firms in 2021 according to the survey, at 43%. The share of billings from residential projects also increased significantly, from 18% in 2018 to 28% in 2021.

The survey also offered an insight into the structure and workflows behind U.S. firms. The share of multidisciplinary firms has continued to increase, now sitting at 44% having risen from 27% in 2002 and 36% in 2011. Meanwhile, 29% of firm reported that providing services to unders...

MVRDV completes Gaîté Montparnasse block transformation in the heart of Paris

2022-11-08T16:42:00-05:00

MVRDV has shared details on its just-completed Gaîté Montparnasse block renovation in the French capital.

The project transformed Pierre Dufau’s once iconic 1974 Ilôt Vandamme design into a more welcoming mixed-use site just south of the Tour Montparnasse facing Avenue du Maine.

“This piece of the city was like an island of ‘70s nostalgia — a tower with no visible entrance, and a plinth where you could get lost between the pedestrian slabs and automobile boulevards,” MVRDV founder Winy Maas explained. “The first step in the design was a study to fragment the block and to make sustainable density — adding new programs such as homes and revealing hidden ones like the library. It created a kind of explosion of buildings that combines large and small scale, existing and new programs, where everything mixes and opens up to the city with lobbies and windows of varying scales like so many addresses.”

Image: Ossip van Duivenbode courtesy MVRDV

By splitting the massing using a tonal glazed cl...

Inside Studio Gang’s Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ahead of its 2023 opening

2022-10-20T13:12:00-04:00

The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is nearing completion ahead of a predicted April 2023 opening. Designed by Studio Gang and Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects following their selection for the commission in 2016, the project has seen the unification of several existing structures on the museum grounds under a “blossoming” central addition.

Photo credit: Tim Hursley

The 133,000-square-foot building includes galleries, an art school, performing art spaces, public gathering spaces, a restaurant, and a museum store. Over 14,000 works of art will be housed in the museum, some dating back to the 14th century.

Photo credit: Tim Hursley

“Our design strengthens the museum’s role as a cultural anchor for Little Rock by uniting once-disparate structures into a cohesive whole and opening the building to the surrounding city and landscape,” said Jeanne Gang about the scheme. “By optimizing its functional spaces and expanding its galleries, classrooms, and social spaces, the building transforms the vi...

Former LA Times print facility reborn as creative offices by EYRC Architects

2022-10-17T11:35:00-04:00

Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects (EYRC) has completed their adaptive re-use of an abandoned Los Angeles Times print facility in Costa Mesa, Orange County. The 430,000-square-foot scheme titled ‘The Press’ saw the three-story complex converted into flexible office spaces.

Photo credit: Matthew Millman

The grounds surrounding the facility see an existing rail line reincorporated as a bike and pedestrian trial to link with a wider pathway network. Inside, EYRC’s approach to the building’s rehabilitation saw a combination of ‘selectively subtracting’ elements to enhance usability, and the retention of elements to convey the facility’s industrial past.

Photo credit: Matthew Millman

“The subtractive design interventions tie landscape and structure together, suggesting ruins recaptured by nature,” EYRC told Archinect. “What remains is a celebration of both material and organic markers of time, history, and context. Paint chips, rail spurs and conveyor belts were left as-is, and matured t...

An English department store demo could create a new special historic status for former retail palaces across the UK

2022-08-24T12:48:00-04:00

Historic England is taking action as preservation advocates in the country prepare for what could be a seminal decision that might alter the face of building conservation in the UK for years to come.

More than 50% of the country's historic department stores have reportedly closed since 2015, leading proponents of their adaptive reuse (including The Guardian critic Oliver Wainwright) to successfully petition against the proposed demolition of a landmark Marks & Spencer outpost on Oxford Street in Central London. Architects, led by Julia Barfield, Sarah Wigglesworth, and Stirling Medalist Steve Tompkins have been lining up with the group to voice their support for retrofitting ahead of an October inquiry into the matter that was called recently by Communities Secretary Michael Gove. Many see this as a potential public rallying cry for retrofit projects throughout the country.

Previously on Archinect: Save Britain's Heritage details threats faced by landmark department stores

A group c...

49 arts institutions will receive much-needed clean energy grants through the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative

2022-08-22T09:00:00-04:00

A group of 49 arts institutions has been awarded a total of $3 million in clean energy grants as part of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI), now in its second year.

The Initiative is part of a larger $10 million effort being developed along with RMI and claims to be the largest grant-making program of its kind in the country.

“The first round of FCI’s funding helped museums actualize climate neutrality commitments, prepare for and respond to climate-driven disasters, and create avenues to achieve long-term operational sustainability, among other key goals,” the Foundation's Lise Motherwell explained. “This second phase expands our reach and impact by advancing current projects in development and providing a new roster of visual art institutions with the support needed to meet their climate goals.”

Among the greater New York area institutions awarded, the Storm King Art Center will receive $100,000 for photovoltaic panels and a building enve...

Foster + Partners completes ‘innovative’ retrofit of old Spanish gas plant

2022-06-30T11:43:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has completed work on Ombú, an adaptive reuse project in Madrid, Spain. The scheme, designed for Spanish infrastructure and energy company ACCIONA, sees the retrofit of a 1905 gas plant into an office building.

Over 10,000 square meters (108,000 square feet) of office space are accommodated inside the building, which the firm says “breathes new life into a historic industrial building in Madrid, creating a sustainable exemplar of building reuse and revitalizing the surrounding area.”

Photo: Nigel Young. Image via Foster + Partners

The plant was originally built in 1905 to supply energy to the surrounding area. Having fallen into disuse and with demolition looming, the building was acquired by ACCIONA in 2017 with the goal of repurposing it.

Fosters’ approach to the adaptive reuse project involved retaining the existing load-bearing structure supporting pitched steel trusses as well as the existing building envelope, which the team calculates has conserved ove...

Architects earn more from renovations than new builds for first time, fueled by workplace revolution

2022-05-10T09:00:00-04:00

Architecture firms are billing more from reconstruction and renovation projects than they are from new builds for the first time; a milestone driven by soaring demand for office renovations. In the 20 years that the AIA has been collecting data on billings for renovations versus new build projects, the share of billings received from renovations has been consistently rising for over a decade, suggesting the new milestone is not entirely attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout 2021, works to existing facilities reached 52% of architecture firm billings. According to AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, one quarter of works to existing facilities comprise adaptive reuse, with another quarter owing to conversion and basic interior modernization. 18% comprises tenant fit-outs while adding usable space and upgrading building facades or systems each comprise 10%.

“This is a l...

AIA announces energy-efficient redesign scheme for its Brutalist D.C. headquarters

2022-04-20T19:09:00-04:00

In an effort to bring the organization closer to its own self-stated goals on sustainability, equity, and collaboration, the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has today unveiled plans for a comprehensive new upgrade to its aging Washington, D.C. National headquarters.

San Francisco-based EHDD will lead the overhaul of the nearly 50-year-old Brutalist structure using the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence to author a host of efficiency upgrades that are expected to save some 58% of the building’s pre-Covid energy use levels.

Renderings courtesy AIA

“[The] AIA’s headquarters should serve as an expression of the value architects provide and align with the values we uphold as a profession,” President Dan Hart explained. “We have a responsibility to redesign this iconic building to the highest standards in sustainability, resilience, and equity. By demonstrating the powerful role design can play in improving our communities, we can...

Can the architecture industry deliver a carbon-neutral building revolution?

2022-04-15T18:40:00-04:00

There’s ever-growing panoply of efficiency measures — better insulation, improved heating and air-conditioning, less-polluting appliances — that could help the building sector rapidly decarbonize. By 2030, almost all new buildings could consume zero net energy — net meaning there’s some give and take from the grid to equal zero use. That’s a big deal, especially with a corollary switch to electrified forms of transportation.

The list of new green technologies is long and includes innovations like low-carbon concrete, cross-laminated timber, and living wall systems that have all developed into scalable products over the past ten years.

So far, big-name firms like Gensler, Lake|Flato, and KieranTimberlake have been among their many evangalizers, with high-profile projects like the White Arkitekter-designed Sara Cultural Centre, Arup's recently completed HAUT residential building, or the Sonoma Academy Janet Durgin Guild & Commons by WRNS Studio serving as the new standard-bearers in an industry seemingly reluctant to adopt its own rhetoric as to the need for systematic change.

The residential sector is another key area of focus if the 2030 ambit mentioned above is to ever truly become a reality. There is quite a bit of reason for hope in this area, too, with more and more governments providing fundin...

Foster + Partners unveils renderings for new Transamerica Pyramid Center retrofit

2022-03-31T18:04:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has shared an update to its recently announced retrofit of William Pereira’s iconic Transamerica Pyramid Center in San Francisco.

New renderings appear to show fresh and open office spaces upgraded for workers’ comfort and workplace flexibility in addition to an on-site members club called ‘CORE,’ a top-floor cocktail bar, wellness area, retail, and several ground-level interventions meant to transform the block-sized development into a historically-sensitive connector of the city.

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

The project represents the largest renovation in the building’s 50-year history and will encompass the revitalization of the adjacent Redwood Park in addition to the pyramid’s refurbishments and a complete overhaul of neighboring 545 Sansome Street into a “contemporary high-design office building.”

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

Historian and critic Paul Goldberger, who is an advisor to dev...

San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid is getting a makeover thanks to Foster + Partners

2022-03-29T19:59:00-04:00

Owner Michael Shvo and his partners have hired world-renowned architect Norman Foster to redesign the iconic tower’s interiors and plan to invest $250 million to renovate the 1972 building and expand its Redwood Park. The owners also plan to roughly double the size of neighboring 545 Sansome St. and add a new facade to create a modern office building at the cost of around $150 million.

Work is expected to begin within the week and take around a year to be completed. The project will include the expansion of Redwood Park and, potentially, the adjacent 545 Sansome Street, which will be rebranded as 3 Transamerica pending approval by the city.

Previously on Archinect: San Francisco’s iconic Transamerica pyramid is for sale

“We want to make this place a focal center of downtown, and make sure people come here not only to work,” Transamerica Pyramid owner Michael Shvo explained to the San Francisco Chronicle. “It will not only transform the interior of the building but the landscape and the exterior and bring life to the entire site.”

“It’s about responding to a very specific climate of a city,” Norman Foster said in a publicity video released by Shvo's company. “It’s about health; it’s about sustainability; it’s about green.”

Video courtesy SHVO on Vimeo.

The Millennium Tower is now sliding as it sinks (and tilts)

2022-03-01T11:06:00-05:00

It’s doing it (again). San Francisco’s Millennium Tower is on the move once more, this time in an entirely different dimension as the 13-year-old building is sliding while it sinks and tilts.

Now the tower is said to be moving to the east, specifically. The firm in charge of stabilizing the former Handel project testified the 58-story building’s “horizontal movement” in documents that were provided to the city during last year, according to NBC Bay Area.

The reflection of a building and crane on Millennium Tower's (301 Mission Street) curtainwall glass. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Hydrogen Iodide.

Ron Hamburger is back again as the engineer telling everybody they were essentially fine to occupy and that the building’s shift left has added another half inch since beginning construction on the perimeter pile upgrade late last summer, coupling with the 24-inch tilt on the roof to create an inch-wide gap between the tower’s foundation mat and adjacent building's five-floor und...

RIBA is calling on the UK government to warm up its interwar houses

2022-02-11T11:14:00-05:00

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has calculated that insulation, double- or triple-glazing and gas boiler replacement in 3.3m interwar homes that sprawl around England’s towns and cities could cut the country’s carbon emissions by 4%, helping it towards the net zero target by 2050. RIBA is calling for policies to incentivise private owners, who own more than 70% of interwar homes, and social landlords to fund the works.

The octogenarian houses are the target of a new £38 billion ($51.5 billion) proposal which, when taken to scale, could save around $500 billion in utility costs. Homeowners in the commonwealth have been getting bled dry by high energy costs of late as the public grapples with the pro-landlord past of its newest housing minister. Current estimates have it that only 10% of interwar homes receive an EPC grade above band C. Nationwide, the typology accounts for over 3.8 residential units according to RIBA.

“There can be no further delay in embarking on a national programme of home retrofitting, which will transform UK housing, creating warm and cheaper-to-heat homes while bringing health and wider societal benefits,” President Simon Allford said in a statement. “This process will drastically reduce fuel poverty, create half a million green jobs, and positively contribute to the national levelling up agenda.”