SAN FRANCISCO | Projects: Under Construction, Approved, and Proposed

[easy as pie]

the mint is amazing, what's not amazing is the chain link fencing surrounding it, so ugly. also ugly: the federal reserve building, just saying. the real problem in that area is the safeway complex, not the mint. we could fit 3k units on that site, not to mention a beautiful street-level retail wrap. one can dream...

thx for the pics.

[fimiak]

About 3rd and clementina, the project did sit for a long time seemingly, but just last week that glass was only on the first floor. I think the glass curtain wall will go really fast now that I see your shots of it already on the third floor this week.

edit: linking my post with several new pictures of 10th and market. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...&postcount=296

[theskythelimit]

Originally Posted by biggerhigherfaster

well the city and the feds should work out a deal to move it. Frankly, that place looks like a prison with armed guards and armored vehicles all around--totally out of place. Totally kills the potential for development in the area

It is still a functioning Mint. Hence the armed guards ect.. Even if it was torn down, you would not see any highrises there. Probably, 3-5 storey condos.

[Jerry of San Fran]

I know some of you folks will be grieved to hear that today, 03/12/2013, mini cars are removing material from the roof. I also notice that the windows are out in the back wing & looks like the teardown will begin soon. In a few months what was once a motel will be history. The SOMA Grand & Trinity Place One in the background.

Essex Fox Plaza - sad news - one of our elderly male tenants climbed over his balcony railing on the 19th floor & fell to his death onto the Polk Street sidewak. This is the 9th suicide in the last 41 years that I am aware of at the Fox Plaza.


Trinity Plaza - demolition by Apollo's Light, on Flickr

[coyotetrickster]

Originally Posted by biggerhigherfaster

Has the city ever given thought to demolishing that US Mint building? With more development in the area, that US Mint building just looks odd and takes up a lot of space in a prime spot. Could put up 2-3 high-rises in the area that the US Mint currently takes up

That is federal property. The city has no authority over it's management or disposition.

[fimiak]

10th and market
foggy morning 3/13

[greg_a]

Here's a look at Google's new 3D Imagery with Financial District commercial real estate data from Cube Cities:

• Video Link

[viewguysf]

I was able to speak with a Plant Construction worker last week as protective scaffolding was being erected in front of the building. Here are some of the things I learned:

> I had noticed from my place, and Jerry from Fox Plaza also pointed out, that the louvres around all four sides of the top floor had been removed. They were cut into pieces small enough to fit into the freight elevator and taken down for recycling. The same is being done to everything on that mechanical equipment floor (boilers, HVAC equipment, etc.).

> Most of the floors in the tower have been gutted by now.

> The concrete panels on the tower's exterior will be able to be unbolted from inside the building once everything has been stripped down to the steel frame on the floors.

> A special cantilever crane will be attached 24 feet up from street level on the east side of the tower next to Fell Street. This has only been done once before, somewhere in the eastern US.

> As the concrete panels are unbolted from the frame, they will be lowered to the street and broken up onsite before being hauled off for recycling. The largest panels weigh 18,000 pounds each. The scaffold over the Van Ness sidewalk will only protect people from flying chips, etc.

> The AAA Tower had lowrise and highrise elevator banks. The lowrise elevators are being removed with shafts filled in for floor space. The same will be done with all but two of the highrise elevators; those will be renovated and made to stop at every floor. I don't know if there is currently more than one freight elevator, but it (or they) will be removed and replaced with a single new one. The current elevators serving four underground garage levels from the lobby will remain.

> A new elevator will be installed on the top floor to take people up to the future roof garden.

I hope I got everything right and have no way to verify accuracy. This will be a major project to watch!

[Jerry of San Fran]

Thanks viewguysf for the investigative reporting! Here is a veiw from the Essex Fox Plaza, 19th floor. The resident sparrow hawks will have to find a new home after 30 years!

[fflint]

The new Census estimate for 2012 has San Francisco at 825,863 residents--2.6% more than in 2010, and growing faster than California (2.1%) as a whole. If the city were to grow at this same rate for the rest of the decade, which is not certain, we'll exceed 900,000 residents by the 2020 Census!

Keep the new developments coming!

[fimiak]

Originally Posted by fflint

The new Census estimate for 2012 has San Francisco at 825,863 residents--2.6% more than in 2010, and growing faster than California (2.1%) as a whole. If the city were to grow at this same rate for the rest of the decade, which is not certain, we'll exceed 900,000 residents by the 2020 Census!

Keep the new developments coming!

New resident checking in. The city would be growing faster if not for high prices. Develop develop develop.

[mt_climber13]

Are those legal residents though? I would bet that the population is already over 900k if you include undocumented up immigrants. Heck, may be over 1 mil.

[tech12]

Apparently the Transbay terminal may have its skin changed from glass to metal:

the architects now propose to cloak it in perforated aluminum, a change that would meet federal safety guidelines while trimming $17 million from the estimated $1.59 billion budget for the center's first phase.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/place/...#ixzz2NioFi5XJ





Looks worse to me, I hope they keep the original design. I wish they'd stop screwing with this thing. First the unnecessary slits on the top of the tower, and now this. Buildings shouldn't become uglier than what was originally proposed and approved...Especially when the design was chosen after years of studies, environmental impact reports, a design contest, tons of money spent, is already under construction, etc. It looks like we might have another Argenta/Trinity Plaza on our hands, with nice things getting value-engineered away at the last second.

[Onn]

^
Do not like, looks cheap. The street level design wasn't real great to begin with, if they're going to change the facade that much why not just scrap the rest of the design too?

[Jerry of San Fran]

Thanks tech12 for the very good image of the proposed new skin for the Transbay Terminal. I don't like it too. It looks like white panties stretched over the frame of the building or the cacoon for a nest of caterpillers. Why not drop the skin entirely? I look out of my window every day & see the Federal Building with it's badly oxidizing sheet of perforated metal & ask how the hell did that happen?

I've come to realize that the plans presented to the public are almost never what is built. I've seen it happen in my neighborhood (Civic Center). Suddenly more floors are added and changes in the design. The San Francisco departments allows too many changes after the agreed plans.

[coyotetrickster]

Originally Posted by Jerry of San Fran

Thanks tech12 for the very good image of the proposed new skin for the Transbay Terminal. I don't like it too. It looks like white panties stretched over the frame of the building or the cacoon for a nest of caterpillers. Why not drop the skin entirely? I look out of my window every day & see the Federal Building with it's badly oxidizing sheet of perforated metal & ask how the hell did that happen?

I've come to realize that the plans presented to the public are almost never what is built. I've seen it happen in my neighborhood (Civic Center). Suddenly more floors are added and changes in the design. The San Francisco departments allows too many changes after the agreed plans.

If you read the architect's statement, this is really in response to rising costs. It has nothing to do with value engineering. One project put out to bid just came back with the lowest bid $115 million more than budgeted. When you have a hot economy, projects with long-build outs will be confronted with engineering/aesthetic choices that can legitimately be presented in change orders.

[biggerhigherfaster]

I think the mesh look is fine and a bit more unique than glass.

What really annoys me is how many of the towers are too short, including the main transbay tower. A halo 80-story tower would be perfect for SF

[tech12]

Originally Posted by biggerhigherfaster

What really annoys me is how many of the towers are too short, including the main transbay tower. A halo 80-story tower would be perfect for SF

There are a lot of shorter 300-400 foot towers in the pipeline right now, but a 1,070' tower seems pretty tall to me, particularly when the next tallest tower is over 200 feet shorter, and when it's getting built in a city famous for NIMBYs, such as SF. There's also a proposed 915' tower, a proposed 802' tower, and a proposed 750' tower, which like Transbay seem to have had little-to-no resistance from NIMBYs so far. SF will never be NYC or Chicago, but the skyline will become noticeably taller than it is.

[fimiak]

They are making the slick glass facade into an aluminum tin can all to save $17 million in a 1.6 billion project? Watch this thing turn into another watered down Moscone with no facade at all. I wonder how much light will be let through this compared to the glass. I must admit though, that aluminum design is pretty cool, so perhaps arguing this point is moot.

[simms3_redux]

What's going on here across from the bus terminal on Mission?