Studio Gang has completed work on Verde, a mixed-use tower in San Francisco’s Mission Rock development. The new building joins previously completed work from MVRDV, Henning Larsen, and WORKac. It takes its name from the green glazed ceramic tiles that decorate its facade.
Verde’s shifting exterior profile affords generous, and very desirable, corner balcony space.
“The tower’s floorplates are carved back at the corners to create outdoor terraces that are unique across each floor,” said Jeanne Gang, the practice’s founding partner. “These terraces are oriented to maximize sunlight and protect from the wind while providing residents views of the surrounding city and San Francisco Bay.”
The 23-story building contains 254 apartment units, roughly 20 percent of which are affordable. A fitness center, game room, outdoor dining spaces, and a rooftop sky deck are among the many resident amenities. In addition, the ground floor of the building has been programmed with retail and a cafe.
A public-private partnership that includes the San Francisco Giants, the Port of San Francisco, and Tishman Speyer, manage the Mission Rock Development. The site is located nearby Oracle Park, the stadium of the San Francisco Giants, as well as the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. Prior to its redevelopment the site was underutilized as an expanse of asphalt parking.
Mission Rock’s location promotes alternatives to driving. the development is located along a light rail line and near a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station.
Anticipating sea level rise within the San Francisco Bay, the entire development has been raised 5 feet above sea level. Other sustainability features include graywater recycling, and landscaping using local species, which is intended to attract pollinators. The project is currently pursuing LEED Gold certification.
Studio Gang’s Urbanism and Civic Impact practice led the group of designers selected for the Mission Rock development, establishing a set of design guidelines that enabled the delivery of a unified and cohesive design across the mixed-use campus.
“We hope that Mission Rock serves as a model for other cities thinking about how to transform underutilized land into great places,” said Gia Biagi, principal of urbanism and civic impact at Studio Gang.
The project comes at a time of increased activity for Studio Gang in the Bay Area. The practice is at work on an addition to the campus of the California College of the Arts, which is expected to open next month, as well as Stanford Sustainability Commons in Palo Alto, California.
Completed projects in the area include MIRA, a residential tower in San Francisco’s Rincon Hill neighborhood, and Kresge College at the University of California, Santa Cruz.