Foster + Partners breaks ground for two terraced residential development in San Francisco

Foster + Partners breaks ground for two residential-led mixed-use buildings at the heart of Dogpatch neighbourhood in San Francisco. Part of the revitalisation of decommissioned power station in San Francisco, the project aims to develop sustainable inclusive neighbourhood with seven acres of parkland.

Developed by Associate Capital, the project aims to reconnect people  to the waterfront along the Dogpatch neighbourhood. The project comprises 29 acres of mixed-use development, featuring 2600 residences, 1.6 million square feet of workspace and 100,000 square feet of new commercial spaces on the ground floor,  connecting them all with the rest of the city for the first time in over a century and a half.

The architects were inspired by the traditional courtyards and alleyways in the area and the buildings feature several green terraces, arranged around the central courtyard.

Armstrong Yakubu, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners said: “This project offers a unique opportunity to reinvigorate an erstwhile industrial quarter and infuse new life into this part of San Francisco.”

“Our proposals will deliver much-needed homes guided by a design approach that is underpinned by people, sustainability and community, and rooted in the rich history of the place. Our aim is to give Dogpatch an ideal urban framework to help create a vibrant, healthy and inclusive 21st century live/work community.”

The site for the residential towers is bounded by Dogpatch neighbourhood on one side and open up to the waterfront on the other. The masterplan features network of pedestrian and cycle routes meandering through these spaces, creating new connections for people to come together and explore the neighbourhood.

To create vibrant ground floor, the design proposes neighbourhood retail and local amenities such as daycare centres and several shared social spaces and co-working areas. The stepped buildings are designed to maximise fresh air, natural light and provide access to the green landscape terraces that rises with the buildings. This design strategy also helps connect the green terraces visually with the landscape below and improve proximity to Nature throughout the development. The design is based on a series of interconnected two-story elements, within the organisational grid that allows for complete flexibility.

This project joins the development of former turbine hall of the power station, designed by Herzog and de Meuron, which is to be transformed into an office and life science building.

 

---

ABOUT FOSTER + PARTNERS

Foster + Partners is a global studio for sustainable architecture, engineering, urbanism and industrial design, founded by Norman Foster in 1967. Since then, he, and the team around him, have established an international practice with a worldwide reputation. With offices across the globe, we work as a single studio that is both ethnically and culturally diverse.