Perkins&Will designs housing for UC Law San Francisco using fluted aluminum panels

A new 656-unit student housing complex, known as the Academe at 198, has completed construction in Downtown San Francisco. Designed by Perkins&Will, the building will serve the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. It features a fluted aluminum cladding that references the surrounding Neoclassical courthouse architecture of San Francisco’s civic center.

To alleviate the burden of San Francisco’s high cost of living, the Academe at 198 will deliver affordable housing to students and faculty of UC Law. By creating additional student housing, the university hopes to better compete with similar institutions in lower-cost-of-living areas. In addition to housing, the new development contains common space, classrooms, courtrooms, as well as food and retail options.

The Academe at 198 replaces Snodgrass Hall, a Brutalist academic building from the 1950s. Classroom space from the previous structure has been reapportioned to other buildings across UC Law’s campus, including facilities within the new building.

Two new moot courtrooms, appellate and trial, are contained within the building, as well as LexLab, a multi-purpose space intended to connect students with Bay-area tech firms.

When designing the building’s facade, architects at Perkins&Will initially considered using a glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) or glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) product, but ultimately settled on aluminum.

“[GFRC/GFRP] did not provide the same technical and aesthetic advantages as the aluminum and they were more costly options,” said Anders Carpenter, associate principal at Perkins&Will. “We wanted an exterior finish that had a satin finish so that there would be a subtle sheen while also allowing the look of the panels to change throughout the day depending on the position of the sun—the aluminum provided this effect.”

Specifically, the fluted facade was modeled after the articulation of classical column orders.

“We took the idea of the fluted column profile and flattened it into a facade pattern, which we then made more irregular and textural by varying the spacing and frequency of the flute ribs,” added Carpenter.

The coloration of the aluminum panels mimics that of 100 McAllister, a historic, art deco apartment building located on the opposite end of the block from the Academe at 198.

A courtyard was situated at the center of the building. Here the aluminum panels were colored blue and organized in a gradation—rising from light to dark—that makes the courtyard itself seem brighter. The panels in the courtyard feature a slightly scalloped relief across their surface, albeit with less depth than those on the exterior of the building.

The Academe at 198 has achieved LEED Gold certification through the use of low-e coated glazing, a thermally broken exterior envelope, and heavy insulation. In combination, these measures produce a high R-value envelope. In addition, the interior of the building features passive temperature controls such as operable windows and ceiling fans, as well as all-electric HVAC systems that have been optimized to operate only during periods of peak demand.

The completion of the Academe at 198 may signal the beginning of a new period of investment in downtown San Francisco. Last year, San Francisco Mayor London Breed publicly invited the University of California to consider developing a downtown campus in the city. Breed sees the expansion of higher education into the neighborhood as a potential solution to disinvestment in downtown following the COVID-19 pandemic, and large retail and office vacancies.

Currently, Perkins&Will is also involved in a renovation of 100 McAllister, working to convert the historic structure into student housing for UC Law students.

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