San Francisco, California

Program: A 44,330-square-foot 32-unit townhouse and apartment complex in downtown San Francisco designed for middle-income and first-time homebuyers. The below-market-rate condos, priced between $150,000 and $375,000, are part of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency's Limited Equity Program. Amenities include parking, patios, and a landscaped garden.

Design concept and solution: The complex is located in San Francisco's cultural district with neighboring public transportation and numerous restaurants. In a nod to the nearby cultural offerings, the complex's interior courtyard, designed by landscape architect Fletcher Studio, prominently features a curved concrete planter shaped like one of Kurt Cobain's famous guitars. The frame of the four-level complex is made of wood and concrete, and the fa'ade largely consists of fiber-cement boards, though one part is accented with a copper veneer.

Completion Date: May 2012

Construction cost: $15 million

Owner: MSPDI Turk LLC

Architects:
David Baker + Partners
461 Second Street, Loft c127
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-896-6700
fax 415-896-6103

People

Owner:  MSPDI Turk LLC

Architect:
David Baker + Partners
461 Second Street, Loft c127
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-896-6700
fax 415-896-6103

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Peter MacKenzie AIA, Partner in Charge
Ian Dunn AIA LEED AP, Project Architect

Engineer(s):
Structural: Structural Design Engineers
Electrical: Bhatia Associates

Consultants:
Landscape: Fletcher Studios
Lighting: Horton Lees Brogden
Acoustical: Wilson Ihrig and Associates

General contractor:  Cahill Contractors Inc.

Photographer: Bruce Damonte

Renderer: David Baker + Partners

CAD system, project management, or other software used: Autodesk Revit 

 

Products

Structural system
Concrete and wood framing

Exterior cladding
James Hardie siding

Roofing
Built-up roofing: John Mansville

Windows
Metal frame: All Weather Architectural Aluminum Inc.

Interior finishes
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Lanz Cabinets
Solid surfacing: Cornerstone quartz surfaces (countertops)
Floor and wall tile: Dal Tile (Residential bathrooms)
Resilient flooring: Armstrong
Carpet: Bigelow Commercial

Conveyance
Elevators/Escalators: Ascent Elevator Services

Energy
Photovoltaic system: sunlight and power