The Bay Area Metro Center at 375 Beale Street involved the transformation of a massive, 1940s-era military warehouse into a transparent, welcoming space to co-locate under one roof four Bay Area government agencies, with intersecting and complementary missions. The building is designed to foster interagency collaboration and allow the public a better understanding of each agencies’ role.
The eight-story concrete Metro Center building was converted into state-of-the-art offices, community hearing spaces, a boardroom, and ground floor retail. The building’s 10’-4” high ceilings and 60,000 square foot floor plates created a dark utilitarian interior which needed to be addressed. As part of a required seismic retrofit, shear walls were introduced at all perimeter walls to reinforce the structure without compromising the opportunity for open offices.
photography by © Blake Marvin Photography
Addressing both seismic and daylighting issues, a seven-story atrium was carved out the of the center of the Metro Center building, both reducing the structural mass of the building and bringing much-needed daylight to the building’s interior, decreasing energy use while creating a welcoming atmosphere. The atrium and interconnecting stairs also provide the opportunity for informal encounters between the various agency employees.
photography by © David Wakely Photography
In order to add warmth to the concrete interior and reference local heritage, the design repurposed wood rails from the building and reclaimed piles unearthed from the Transbay Terminal for use as stair treads, countertops, and wall finishes. Bringing nature into the building was an important design consideration, notably a tree well located on the sixth floor, a garden patio on the eighth floor, and a landscaped garden outside the main public hearing room.
The exterior interventions use a language of metal ‘portals’ with reclaimed wood facing that punctuate the robust concrete shell. These interventions were limited in scope, being strategically located to help maximize their impact so as to create a lively sidewalk experience.
photography by © Blake Marvin Photography
Project Info :
Architects: Perkins+Will
Project Year: 2016
Project Area: 48774.0 m2
Plumbing Consultant: WSP
Mechanical Consultant: WSP
Electrical Consultant: WSP
Furniture Dealer: Hogue & Associates
Lighting Consultant : Architecture & Light
Structural Consultant: Holmes Structures
Prime Architect: Perkins+Will (core & shell)
General Contractor: McCarthy and Associates
Construction Management : Harris & Associates
Associate Architect: TEF Design (office interiors)
AV Consultant: TEECOM Landscape Architect GLS
Manufacturers: Alkco, Knoll, Shaw Carpet, Bernhardt
Photographs: Blake Marvin Photography, David Wakely Photography
Project Location: 375 Beale St #800, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States
Lead Architects: Cathy Simon, Perkins+Will; Andrew Wolfram, Perkins+Will; Gerry Tierney, Perkins+Will, James Mallery, Perkins+Will; Rosannah Sandoval, Perkins+Will; Aleks Janjic, Perkins+Will; David Bradshaw, Perkins+Will; Bobbie Fisch, TEF Design; Paul Cooper, TEF Design; Paul Loeffler, TEF Design
