Archinect - News

Home owned by late Sea Ranch architect George Homsey lists for $2.45 million

2024-11-15T12:15:00-05:00

The home once owned by one of the leading late-modernist figures in Northern California—the EHDD co-founder George Homsey’s exemplary Third Bay Tradition style former personal residence in San Francisco—is now for sale for $2.45 million via Superstructur.

The online brokerage, which claims to focus "solely on architecture and design with integrity," has the listing in the Liberty Hill Historic District. They say: "The house is in very original condition and now requires a custodian who is sensitive to the building's architectural importance and to the Homsey family's wishes that it may be carefully restored and preserved for the enjoyment of future generations."

Homsey passed away at the age of 93 in April of 2019. Last month in the region, we also highlighted the listing of Julia Morgan's original 1908 home in Berkeley for $1.9 million.

Studio Gang unveils a new 'creative ecosystem' for the California College of the Arts in San Francisco

2024-11-07T17:42:00-05:00

The wait is over for followers of Studio Gang’s campus expansion for the California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco. The project, which was first announced in late 2016, establishes an overlapping "creative ecosystem" inside the footprint of the school's existing campus located in the heart of the city’s Design District.

Image courtesy Jason O'Rear

The program adds a total of 82,305 square feet of space in the form of two hybrid mass timber pavilions set on top of a concrete slab base and sheltering both a makers yard area and other conditioned outdoor spaces used for fabricating and multidisciplinary design education.

Image courtesy Jason O'Rear

The first, 24,300-square-foot Hooper Pavilion includes 48 art studios worth a total of 5,300 square feet. Along with those, there is a new 2,100-square-foot gallery for the exhibition students’ work, small lounge, another classroom space, and a 1,100-square-foot lecture hall with seating for up to 60 people.

Image courtesy Jason O'...

California begins offering $13,000 for single-family seismic retrofits

2024-10-22T17:22:00-04:00

The State of California has announced a new wave of grants through its Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) program that will offer homeowners small $13,000 grants to be used in seismic retrofits.

The grants apply to qualified homeowners in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles and could be a potential windfall for architects with expertise in such projects. Only one- and two-story homes with dwelling space above a garage are eligible, according to MSN. Seismic events in L.A. County in 2024 recently surpassed numbers that haven't been seen in decades.

Checking in on Jony Ive’s San Francisco plans post-Apple stardom

2024-09-27T15:56:00-04:00

But for Mr. Ive, Jackson Square also represents personal reinvention. Few people walk away from their profession’s premier job. Even fewer start over again. A self-professed control freak, Mr. Ive decided that he had fretted enough over the snugness of each iPhone box, the layout of every Apple Watch component and the curve of every iPad corner. He wanted something new.

The former Chief Design Officer at Apple, Ive, is fresh off a $100 million-plus real estate buying spree in San Francisco’s Jackson Square, where a large-scale redevelopment is now planned for 2025. Clients of LoveFrom are paying up to $200 million for his services, per the Times. Ive formed the company in 2019. Lots of projects are still veiled in secrecy, including the development of an AI-powered computing experience that is "less socially disruptive than the iPhone."

San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid Center reopens with a flourish following Foster + Partners makeover

2024-09-12T19:26:00-04:00

Today marks the grand reopening of the Transamerica Pyramid Center in San Francisco, California, following a $400 million redevelopment project from developer SHVO in partnership with Foster + Partners.

The 853-foot masterpiece William Pereira first bequeathed to the city in the summer of 1972 is now revitalized with modern-day amenities and a new lobby that once again matches his design’s original intentions while better integrating the building with civic life along the ground level.

Image: David Lipman

Outside the lobby, a revitalized Redwood Park with 49 replanted trees was enacted between Two Transamerica and Three Transamerica at Sansome Street to bind the site and program and serve as a new oasis-like destination in the heart of a busy pedestrian/commercial area.

Image: David Lipman

Another exterior component of the project entailed rejuvenating Mark Twain Alley, which is now a more vibrant civic space replete with plum blossom trees that ...

In the face of post-pandemic habits, U.S. cities turn to vernacular design traditions for answers

2024-09-12T07:00:00-04:00

Gone are the days when the easiest way to make an architectural splash was with a shimmering and photogenic stand-alone building, fancy forms torquing this way and that. Along with exploring new takes on regional or vernacular design traditions, the field’s top talents are taking on projects that reimagine existing institutions or public spaces — or forge new links among them.

In a new piece for The New York Times, Yale School of Architecture senior critic Christopher Hawthorne explores how architects are striving to rejuvenate downtown areas across the U.S., where hybrid work schedules and negative perceptions have led to reduced vibrancy.

While converting commercial buildings into residential spaces is a popular strategy, it's not always feasible due to structural constraints, Hawthorne argues. Architects are therefore exploring strategies to entice activity downtown by reimagining existing structures and incorporating regional aesthetics.

Related on Archinect: Foster + Partners' Three Transamerica redesign wins approval in San Francisco. Image credit: dbox, courtesy of Foster + Partners/SHVO

Throughout the New York Times piece, Hawthorne cites examples such as the Seattle Aquarium's Ocean Pavilion by LMN Architects which reconnects the city to its waterfront, the revitalized Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco by Foster + Partners aimed at attracting ...

Studio Gang's Verde creates an unforgettable waterfront connection in San Francisco's Mission Rock

2024-09-06T15:40:00-04:00

Studio Gang’s completed Verde mixed-use tower is turning heads in San Francisco. The latest addition to the skyline of Mission Rock, which recently includes MVRDV’s The Canyon, is a 23-story design that features 254 apartments with a competitive amenities suite and ground-floor retail and commercial spaces.

Image: courtesy Jason O'Rear

“For Verde, we wanted to create spaces where residents could connect with each other while feeling embraced by the natural beauty of San Francisco,” says Jeanne Gang. “The tower’s floorplates are carved back at the corners to create outdoor terraces that are unique across each floor. These terraces are oriented to maximize sunlight and protect from the wind while providing residents views of the surrounding city and San Francisco Bay. From the street, the alternating carved terraces give the building a rhythmic play of light.”

Image: courtesy Jason O'Rear

This rhythmic effect is added to by the selection of emerald-colored sp...

23 architecture jobs (+1 fellowship) in the San Francisco Bay Area

2024-08-22T14:17:00-04:00

The latest curated jobs roundup from Archinect Jobs highlights 12 architecture and design firms (+1 school) in the San Francisco Bay Area currently offering a range of exciting opportunities.

For helpful guidance on how to get that next job, make sure to check out Archinect's Guide to Job Titles series and our Archinect Tips collection.

Atherton Avenue by Arcanum Architecture.

Arcanum Architecture seeks a Project Manager - Residential, a Job Captain - Residential, and a Job Captain - Restaurant / Commercial in San Francisco

Project Manager - Residential details: "Arcanum is currently seeking a project manager to join the residential team. The candidate will lead the design team, in close collaboration with principals and clients, to develop, manage, and coordinate drawings sets. The candidate should be well rounded in all project phases with strong design skills, creative, well-organized, able to assume responsibility and collaborate with others."

Job Captain - Residential details: ...

Four stylish cafe/restaurant interiors by STUDIO BANAA: Your Next Employer?

2024-06-24T13:45:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to Portland-based LEVER Architecture, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to San Francisco this week to explore the work of STUDIO BANAA.

Founded in 2015 by Nastaran Mousavi and Dane Bunton, the firm has built a portfolio of fresh, dynamic spaces defined by color, pattern, and personality. “Our design process is very collaborative, and we bring our entire team to the table and tackle it together,” Mousavi and Bunton told us in 2021 as part of our Studio Snapshot series. “Since we are small, our office structure is not as rigid as you see in bigger corporate offices, and each member of our team becomes involved in every aspect of a project.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions at their San Francisco studio. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four cafes and restaurants featuring stylish, colorful interi...

Herzog & de Meuron breaks ground on new $4.3 billion UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital project in San Francisco

2024-05-06T17:04:00-04:00

A groundbreaking was held recently for Herzog & de Meuron's new UCSF Health Helen Diller Hospital in San Francisco. The $4.3 billion project that will tie together two existing buildings with a new 15-story facility is expected to culminate in 2030 at 880,000 square feet and serves as a new connector to the campus as the lynchpin for the university’s 30-year Parnassus Heights master plan.

UCSF says this is necessary to maintain its presence in various fields of biomedical research, patient care, and medical teaching. The design includes 682 total beds and features a “holistic focus” on the needs of patients bolstered by the latest medical technologies and the ability to increase collaboration between scientists, staff, and students of the highly competitive UCSF School of Medicine. HDR and Field Operations are contributing to the project as collaborators.

Three tech giant headquarters by WRNS Studio: Your Next Employer?

2024-04-08T11:23:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to San Francisco-based Richard Beard Architects, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in the city this week to explore the work of WRNS Studio.

Founded in San Francisco in 2005, the firm operates across three principles: beauty, sustainability, and a positive contribution to the public realm. “We established our studio to provide a platform upon which we could freely explore our ideas and craft,” co-founder Sam Nunes told our Studio Snapshot series back in 2020. “We wanted to be a part of the community of architects seeking to redefine the relationship between the built and the natural environments and between the private and public realms.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions to join their San Francisco office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up three headquarters for well-known tech companies by WRNS Studi...

Four rural California residences by Richard Beard Architects: Your Next Employer?

2024-03-25T15:02:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to Philadelphia-based KieranTimberlake, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to California this week to explore the work of Richard Beard Architects.

Led by Richard Beard, and based in San Francisco, Richard Beard Architects focuses on the design of private residences and special commissions, specializing in distinctive custom homes, luxury multi-family communities, and specialty commercial and hospitality environments. The studio describes its work as “significantly informed by how architecture can integrate with interior and landscape design to achieve a unified design that is more than the sum of its constituent parts.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions to join their San Francisco office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four rural California residences by Richard Beard Architects that exemplify the st...

San Francisco's Millennium Tower is sinking again despite foundational corrections

2024-02-22T17:52:00-05:00

San Francisco’s ill-fated Millennium Tower is making headlines once again for problems taking place beneath its turbulent foundation.

This time, the 58-story skyscraper is sinking even further on its vertical axis as it settles to the north and west, alarming some building scientists who feel the movement could result in significant corrosive damage despite some recent positive corrections.

Engineers say a fix that has been previously made to anchor its foundation into bedrock on the north and west sides has mostly failed to produce the 4-inch reversal their advanced data models had predicted, instead posting a correction of just a quarter-inch a year and, as outside experts surmised, causing the new directional shift that's happening in an unexpected area.

Now, the building is sinking from underneath the center of its foundation mat at a rate of one-tenth of an inch per year. The phenomenon is known as "dishing." A local geothermal engineer who is monitoring the issue told NBC Bay...

36 featured architecture jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area

2024-02-22T15:05:00-05:00

The latest curated jobs roundup from Archinect Jobs highlights 19 architecture and design firms in the San Francisco Bay Area currently looking to grow with various exciting positions.

For helpful guidance on how to get that next job, make sure to check out Archinect's Guide to Job Titles series and our Archinect Tips collection.

Foster + Partners seeks an Architect in San Francisco
"If you are a qualified Architect, licenced in the state of California, have a background working at an international practice on high-profile, large-scale projects, and have strong Revit (Arch) skills, we want to hear from you. This is an excellent opportunity to work on some of the most exciting projects in the world, underpinned by our unique approach to innovation and cutting-edge research."

The firm is also hiring for an Architect in Los Angeles.

Gensler seeks an Architect - Senior and Project Architect - Sciences - Senior in San Francisco, an Architect - Hospitality in Oakland, and a Project Archite...

Four edgy California remodelling projects by JENSEN Architects: Your Next Employer?

2024-01-29T12:08:00-05:00

Following last week's visit to San Francisco-based Edmonds + Lee Architects, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in the Bay Area this week to explore the work of JENSEN Architects.

From their studio in downtown San Francisco, the firm has built a portfolio specializing in cultural, educational, residential, and workplace projects. The studio describes its ethos as “valuing a critical design approach, contemporary culture engagement, and innovative construction techniques for elegant, effective, and environmentally sensitive solutions.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions to join their San Francisco office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four intriguing California-based remodel and renovation projects by JENSEN Architects that exemplify the studio’s ethos.

Stanford Residence. Image credit: JENSEN Architects

Stanford Residence, Stanfo...

DLR Group acquires two Bay Area specialty firms

2024-01-25T14:16:00-05:00

The San Francisco office of DLR Group has announced its acquisition of two smaller local specialty design practices in a move that will expand services to clients in the areas of civic and public safety design as well as high-end hospitality and residential interiors.

Thirty-five-year-old BraytonHughes Design Studios and Sonoma-based RossDrulisCusenbery (RDC) were the two firms acquired in separate deals. Both are well-known in the Bay Area market, having developed nationally recognized designs in their respective practice areas for the last three decades.

The boutique interiors specialist BraytonHughes Design Studios will add their expertise in high-end hospitality, resort, corporate office design, and residential projects to the DLR portfolio. Its addition helps DLR to accelerate growth in these segments and is strengthened by the firm’s longtime clients like the Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, and Grand Hyatt hotel brands, according to DLR.

In a statement, BraytonHughes Presiden...

Five modern San Francisco residences by Edmonds + Lee Architects: Your Next Employer?

2024-01-22T12:12:00-05:00

Following our previous visit to New York City-based JG Neukomm Architecture, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to San Francisco this week to explore the work of Edmonds + Lee Architects.

Founded by Robert Edmonds and Vivan Lee, the architecture and interior design firm has built an acclaimed portfolio across private, commercial, and institutional sectors. From their studio in the city’s Mission District, the studio operates along “a profoundly philosophical approach with a deep well of on-the-ground building experience to produce work that both sensitively integrates itself into the existing context, and that offers new opportunities for reflection, work, pause, restoration, and play.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for a Project Architect/Designer to join their San Francisco office. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up five residential projects by Ed...

18 featured architecture jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area

2023-12-28T15:29:00-05:00

If you're an experienced professional ready for new architectural career opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area, this newest edition of our curated job picks from Archinect Jobs is for you. Look below at this selection of 10 featured employers looking to expand with a variety of exciting roles.

To explore specific job titles from the architectural profession, consult Archinect's Guide to Job Titles series. Also, follow our Archinect Tips series to improve your portfolio, resume, and interviewing skills, to increase your overall chances of getting that next job.

Dumican Mosey Architects seeks a Project Architect and an Intermediate Designer in San Francisco

Project Architect details: "Dumican Mosey Architects is looking for a Project Architect to join our team, build upon our award-winning portfolio of modernist projects, and help lead the firm into the future. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of leading clients and project teams in creating superlative single...

Foster + Partners' Three Transamerica redesign wins approval in San Francisco

2023-12-21T15:18:00-05:00

New details about the planned redevelopment of the San Francisco Transamerica Center from Foster + Partners have been released following the unanimous approval of the Three Transamerica expansion plans by the city’s Parks Department and Planning Commission.

Renderings included in an Instagram announcement of the approvals from developer SHVO released yesterday show plans for a 220-foot horizontal expansion of the mixed-use former 545 Sansome St. property that results in a distinctive glass curtain wall at the base of the building’s north and west orientations. The building dates from 1930 and was originally designed by Willis Polk & Company.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by SHVO (@shvo)

Per SF YIMBY, city planners acknowledged the distinctiveness of the character of their intervention’s scope, saying it was “recognizable as a modern intervention consistent with other newer buildings in the area” but that the demolition would not result in the removal of...

U.S. Department of Transportation awards $6.1 billion in funding for high-speed rail projects in the American West

2023-12-06T14:36:00-05:00

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced $6.1 billion in funding for two high-speed rail projects in Nevada and California that will make history upon their respective completions at the end of the decade.

Both the $8 billion Brightline West plan connecting Southern California to Las Vegas and the California High-Speed Rail project between Los Angeles and San Francisco will receive a total of $3 billion and $3.07 billion each.

The funding will help propel the former towards a formal project announcement that is expected by Friday, according to Reuters. The latter will aid in the development of a pared-down version of the larger California project that has been plagued by funding challenges for several years.

Brightline’s chairman Wes Edens told Reuters the funding marks a “historic moment that will serve as a foundation for a new industry and a remarkable project that will serve a...

Golden Gate Bridge finally installs anti-suicide nets after years of delay

2023-11-07T12:51:00-05:00

Construction of the lingering suicide prevention upgrades is wrapping up on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The project's long road to culmination was covered by the New York Times recently as contractors work to finish installing the netting system, which was more than 80% in place as of September.

Work began in August of 2018 after an additional $124 million in funds needed for the project was eventually raised. It then hit further delays in the form of a contractor’s breach-of-contract lawsuit arising from significant cost overruns, which drove the installation's final price from $142 million to the $400 million final reported estimate.

Some have framed the project as emblematic of the “wrong approach” to suicide prevention, saying they are susceptible to second attempts and that money is better distributed through the city’s mental health network. Dennis Mulligan, the General Manager and...

Featured architecture and design jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area

2023-10-26T14:07:00-04:00

This newest edition of our curated job picks from Archinect Jobs features 13 employers with exciting job openings in the greater San Francisco area, including Berkeley, Oakland, and Emeryville. If you're an experienced professional seeking architecture and design jobs in this region, this list is just for you.

Walker Warner seeks a Project Director in San Francisco
"The Project Director role is critical in helping us continue to deliver exceptional results and help lead and develop our staff. This role reports directly to the Principal-in-Charge and provides proactive direction, oversight and project management on a single large project of 100,000 sq. ft. or more and/or across multiple smaller projects running concu...

Gehry Partners and Mark Cavagnero Associates named to design proposed Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall renovation in San Francisco

2023-10-13T18:29:00-04:00

A plan from Gehry Partners, LLP. and Mark Cavagnero Associates to renovate the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra’s 43-year-old Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall building is moving forward after a proposal was made public for the first time.

In September, the client submitted a proposal to begin the entitlement process for renovations to the SOM and Pietro Belluschi-designed structure. The goal is to make the Symphony “publicly accessible, transparent, and inviting,” according to its press release. The institution says it is still in the exploratory phase of the process and cautions it has yet to commit to a project or submitted any other permits as the concepts are explored further.

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. Image by Drew Altizer/Courtesy of San Francisco Symphony Hall.

Gehry, whose longstanding collaboration with noted acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota will again take centerstage when the expanded Colburn School of Music campus project breaks ground in ...

WHY Architecture faces lawsuit over San Francisco Asian Art Museum expansion project

2023-09-27T17:47:00-04:00

WHY Architecture has been named as a defendant in a new lawsuit by the Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco after allegedly failing to meet the institution’s design goals for a $38 million expansion project that was completed in March of 2020.

The suit was first entered in the County Superior Court in 2021. News of the action was made public via a museum press release this week, wherein the Foundation provided further details on what they said was a breach of contract related to its plan for the project that went over budget due to subsequent repairs.

“[The Pavilion] was delivered late, and as originally constructed, it failed to meet even the minimum museum-quality standards: it leaked in multiple locations, its interior environment was of inadequate quality, and its rooftop terrace was unusable. It was only through substantial intervention by the Foundation, at its own significant cost, that these major issues were identified and corrected, and a first-class, museum-qualit...

Mork-Ulnes Architects and Alison Damonte reimagine San Francisco home destroyed by fire

2023-09-13T11:58:00-04:00

Mork-Ulnes Architects has unveiled their completed residential project in Bernal Heights, San Francisco. Named ‘The Silver Lining House,’ the home was commissioned by architectural photographer Bruce Damonte and interior designer Alison Damonte, who sought a “container for the couple’s art and furniture collection, and a laboratory for their work.”

Image credit: Bruce Damonte

The new scheme replaces an original 1908 wood house, which was damaged by a fire on Christmas Eve, 2017, when the project had already commenced. While the fire caused a reevaluation of the scope and scale of the redesign, the brief remained to “create a home that acted as a capsule for art and inspiration.” A new structure was proposed whose proportions, scale, and exterior massing took cues from the site’s gabled Edwardian neighbors, with an exterior black cedar cladding echoing the local vernacular and subtly referencing the fire that spurred the home’s regeneration.

Image credit: Br...

New Terner Center for Housing Innovation paper unpacks five years of SB 35's impact on the California housing crisis

2023-08-21T18:05:00-04:00

The Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley has released a statewide assessment of the development of housing five years after the implementation of California's Senate Bill (SB) 35 began in 2018.

The bill eased the barriers to housing production for builders, in some cases removing the required review process under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and other policies that had been targeted as key impediments to the effort to meet a crisis that has become the defining issue of the time for embattled local governments, residents, and planning officials.

Statistics revealed that 18,000 new units were able to be developed thanks to the streamlining of nearly a thousand multifamily infill housing projects as a direct result of SB 35. The rate of successful developments peaked in 2020, with a noticeable dip recorded in the past year. The study also found encouragingly that most projects covered by SB 35 were considered 100 percent affordable.

Related on Archine...

Economic and political obstacles stand in way of office-to-residential conversion projects

2023-07-25T12:12:00-04:00

These conversions seem like a win-win: turning a plethora of barely used office space into desperately needed urban housing. But converting offices into apartments is easier said than done. And while it's easy to imagine the process behind conversions, like adding in walls and plumbing, it gets complicated.

Various cities across the United States have been turning to office-to-residential conversions as a way to address declining city cores that have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels. As noted by NPR, San Francisco is making way for these conversions by adjusting current building codes and getting rid of extra fees. In Washington D.C., the mayor has proposed an increase in tax breaks for owners of downtown office buildings who convert them to housing.

Previously on Archinect: A new Brookings Institution report extends solutions to America's struggling office-to-residential conversion market

While cities are aiming to provide favorable incentives for conversions, the benefits may still fall short due to the many obstacles in front of ensuring a successful project. On top of some office buildings lacking the physical qualities needed to convert to residential, strict zoning rules, as seen in New York City, already determine which buildings can be transformed into housing. And, rezoning ca...

San Francisco is at dire risk for flooding without water infrastructure upgrades, according to a new report

2023-07-10T14:35:00-04:00

In addition to overall wetter conditions, the study predicts increasingly intense bursts of heavy rain during storms — up to two-thirds wetter by the end of the century — the type of brief torrents that can easily overwhelm sewer systems, swamp cars and cause significant property damage and even loss of life, said Michael Mak, a Pathways water resources engineer.

Mayor London Breed announced a $369 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan a month before the report was made public courtesy of KQED’s public records request. The report indicates a 37% increase in stormwater by the end of the century. Meanwhile, the city’s 3,400-strong stock of aging concrete buildings (a portion of which were actually built after 2000) is also in dire need of mass seismic retrofits, as the USGS says San Francisco faces a 20% risk of a 7.5 magnitude earthquake or higher occurring within the next 30 years.

For San Francisco-related weather and infrastructure news, explore previously reported coverage on Archinect below:

MVRDV completes ‘The Canyon’ tower in San Francisco inspired by California’s geology

2023-06-27T11:17:00-04:00

MVRDV has completed a mixed-use tower in San Francisco inspired by geology. Named ‘The Canyon,’ the 23-story scheme is part of a wider master plan along the city’s waterfront to create a sustainable community named Mission Rock.

Image credit: Jason O'Rear

The Canyon is one of four buildings to be delivered as part of the first phase of the Mission Rock neighborhood, which also includes designs by Studio Gang, Henning Larsen, and WorkAC. Occupying the northwest corner of the neighborhood, The Canyon is grounded by a five-story plinth topped by a 240-foot-tall tower.

A ground floor of small-scale shops and restaurants is topped by two floors of offices, while the tower contains 283 apartments. Over a third of the apartments are rented at below market rate, with residents selected via a lottery process, providing 102 homes for middle-income families in response to the city’s housing crisis.

Image credit: Jason O'Rear

The development features a ruggedly textured red-brown facade, while a...

San Francisco's Millennium Tower is tilting even further, despite engineering fixes

2023-06-15T16:54:00-04:00

Despite initial progress in the first phase of the so-called fix earlier this year, the sinking and leaning Millennium Tower in San Francisco is now tilting more to the west than ever, according to monitoring data reviewed by NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit. The tower is currently leaning more than 29 inches at the northwest corner of Fremont and Mission streets, much of the added tilt occurring during the digging needed to prepare to support the tower along two sides.

The data came from a rooftop monitoring system, which the fix’s chief engineer Ron Hamburger said was less reliable than the one contained in its foundation before stating the half-inch tilt recorded was "negligible."

A geotechnical engineer working on the $100 million project expressed his dismay to reporters, saying: "You spend all this money, but you still have an uncertain result long term."

The structure is leaning so much that some involved think it could potentially be red-tagged in the aftermath of a major earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey says has a 20% likelihood of occurring in the next 30 years.