[J Church]

i think we ought to buy the designer drinks, tho. or since she's a CCAC student - maybe a meal.

"I love the quality of San Francisco, but coming back from Asia, there's something practical about how those cities grow that's very much opposed to the United States,'' says Nielsen, who created the tower with design partner Kwong-won Kim in an ambitious design studio this fall. "Being from West Marin I'm really against sprawl. We should be growing up instead of out.

"I'd love to drive from my house into the city and see amazing towers ahead of me," confesses Nielsen. "Since I've been studying architecture I've come to realize how conservative this city is, how difficult it is to be fresh or radical."