Verde

Reinterpreting the typical tower podium, the building’s carved base leads up to a mesa-like space with sunny planted terraces that offer views over the future public square below. At ground level, shops and cafés bring their own lively character to the neighborhood’s public realm.

The sculpting strategy continues up the tower, where floorplates are carved back at the corners to create comfortable outdoor terraces that complement San Francisco’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle. Oriented and shaped to enhance sunlight and protect from wind, as well as provide great views of the surrounding city and Bay, the terraces continue the “community topography” begun at the mesa.

Creating a healthier, more resilient and sustainable environment, the design incorporates extensive graywater reuse, ample connections to public transit, and accessibility to the waterfront Bay Trail. The entire development is also raised five feet above sea level for protection from sea level rise and storm surge.

At the tower’s top, residents can enjoy skyline views of Oracle Park and the Bay among a lively sky garden. Regionally appropriate plantings create an attractive place for birds, butterflies, and other pollinators to visit, supporting biodiversity within the city.

In addition to designing Verde, Studio Gang developed and led an innovative process to ensure that the 28-acre Mission Rock development draws on the qualities of San Francisco’s most vibrant and welcoming neighborhoods.

The Studio helped to identify three other architects—Henning Larsen, MVRDV, and WORKac—and facilitated collaboration for the entire first phase of the development, guiding the cohort toward a common set of design principles about the site’s ecology, materiality, and public realm. Unusual for an urban district built at once, the result is a cohesive place that harmoniously mixes different perspectives to create a lively new San Francisco neighborhood.