SAN FRANCISCO | One Oak | 435 FT (133 M) | 37 FLOORS

[summersm343]

Beautiful design. This sort of looks like a scaled down version of the Shanghai Tower.

[mt_climber13]

I have discovered that it is not a good idea to link directly to SFGate images as they disappear after a few weeks, so I have uploaded the photos from the title page directly to my photobucket account. I suggest others do the same in the future- nothing more annoying than seeing the blue question mark in place of images!

[easy as pie]

i just can't stand the street treatment here, and hope that the design is reworked to improve it. if the street were normal and prosperous, maybe you could get away with this, but as it is, we can't afford to allow any more dead space.

[Grantenfuego]

Originally Posted by jbm

I went to the better market streets presentation tonight, and spoke with a couple of the people from one of the consulting or planning groups that are working with the city on the market st plan. I was generally discussing the market x van ness intersection (not development or high-rise specific) and both of them separately brought up this building. I take that as a positive that this project seems to be very much on the city's radar.

Good to know.

[jbm]

i walked by this site today, and it appears that the building housing the donut shop is for sale. also, the cleaning company that was in the top two floors appears to have moved out. Hopefully this clears out the potential obstacle that this building created to the development of the larger site.

[Duck From NY]

With it's topography, and existing density of post-war skyscrapers, I think SF is the perfect canvas for sleek modern buildings like this.

[peanut gallery]

JK Dineen provided a few tidbits on this in today's Chronicle:

Finally, the furthest along of the four projects, the Richard Meier-designed proposed white glass tower at 1540 Market St., is headed toward approvals this year.

……..

Meanwhile, neighbors of the coming 1540 Market tower are already bracing for change. Pei Xia Fung, owner of Variety Convenience Store on the same block, said she has been told that the block will probably be demolished toward the end of this year.

…….

Dave Stanton, the managing member of 1540 Market LLC, said the 268-unit condo project is "on the 5-yard line" in terms of its environmental approvals and that his group is talking to potential builders to partner with. "We think it will be the first of the four corners to go up, and we think it is going to be a marquee building," he said.

And he said the squat, two-story doughnut shop next to the proposed tower will remain - unless a deal can be struck with the owner.

"We made them offers and basically got no response for about five years. They came back last year willing to talk, but by that point the ship had pretty much sailed," Stanton said.

"At this point we can't change the building design to include the doughnut shop. We could possibly demolish it and put a park there. And we will offer to pay to reclad the outside and make it fit in. But there is no deal on the table with the doughnut shop - I guarantee you that," he said.

The article is about the big changes afoot at Market and Van Ness and well worth reading for info on other developments in the area.

[mt_climber13]

A fountain, park, statue, or monument would be the ideal solution for the donut shop... One of the most prominent and major intersections on the west coast and in the country.

[WonderlandPark]

I was wondering what was happening with this site. Almost thought it was dead. Glad to hear its moving ahead and that fugly 3 story bldg will bite the dust.

[fimiak]

Does anybody else think that donut shop remaining is a catastrophe? I am happy they are continuing without it, but that thing is so pointless...they don't even have an upstairs tenant currently.

[hruski]

Originally Posted by fimiak

Does anybody else think that donut shop remaining is a catastrophe? I am happy they are continuing without it, but that thing is so pointless...they don't even have an upstairs tenant currently.

I think that if they re-clad it to fit with the main building (as the developer has offered to do), then it won't look too bad.

Of course, I prefer they demolish it and turn it into a plaza or park. IMHO, I think that's what will ultimately happen and the developer is just trying to make the shop owner sweat about his "missed opportunity."

[peanut gallery]

Not sure I'd call it a catastrophe, but I do hope they reclad it or tear it down. Preferably, it will be the later so this tower's full profile will be visible when looking up Market. I rather like wakamesalad's idea of a sculpture, fountain or monument of some type.

[WildCowboy]

Big update...Meier out, Snøhetta in. The new developers also have the doughnut shop under contract. Hoping for final approvals a year from now.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...ct-5851284.php

[peanut gallery]

Turning Oak into a plaza...moving the subway entrance...big changes indeed. I think we'll all be happy with the donut shop news.

[fimiak]

:


So from 180ish units to ~300? Big improvement.

[SFView]

I am actually looking forward to this. Snøhetta does great work. Their designs tend to be rather sculptural, artistic and contemporary - an excellent substitute for Richard Meier and his wonderfully sculptured tower.

I would believe fire truck access for the fire station on Oak Street nearby has precedence over wind concerns. There may need to be a solution for the wind issues that does't impede on the turning radius and height clearance requirements of the fire trucks driving down Oak.

It is nice hear that the donut shop building could finally go. That building on the corner would look even odder than it does now if it remained with such a overwhelmingly contrasting building right next to it, unless it was remodeled somehow.

[minesweeper]

...but it's still subject to change. Build Inc. is hoping for approvals by the end of 2015.

New design for tower at Market + Van Ness: Dramatic but down to earth

The updated design and development details were filed this week with the city’s Planning Department. Build Inc. hopes to begin meeting with neighborhood groups within the next month, with an aim of receiving approvals by the end of 2015.

The scalloped arc of the new tower is intended to diffuse the downdraft including a slight twist at the 27th floor, set atop a relatively broad 11-story base. Wind tests show an improvement on the Meier design but still too much wind at certain spots on the ground, which is where the concept of wind-deflecting canopies came in.

“The idea is that they’ll have a strong functional responsibility but also be beautiful — a sculptural and an artistic element,” said Sade Borghei, the project manager for Snøhetta. The canopy designs are still evolving, as is the plaza itself; the hope is to include space for a new entrance to the Muni subway station at the corner, as well as sheltered spaces that could be used for small performances by students at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

The plaza and its canopies aren’t the only elements likely to change as the proposal moves through the public review process.

Instead of the all-glass look that Meier favored, and that has been the default of too many towers in the past decade, architects at both firms say the idea is to build on the masonry tradition of the Civic Center. But the materiality will be affected by budget decisions — Snøhetta is using glass-fiber reinforced concrete rather than granite or terra cotta at SFMOMA, for instance — and the facade’s relationship of glass and masonry is still in flux.

While current renderings show a clean rectangular grid, “We’re looking at different options for the skin” in terms of masonry patterns, Forgan said. The goal is visual warmth and depth, he emphasized: “It’s such a visible and unique location. Less glass feels appropriate.”

Source: sfchronicle.com (Snøhetta/SCB)

[simms3_redux]

Wow. That's all I have to say. I like.

The base is a bit boring and not sure this is an appropriate "Market St tower", however, beggars can't be choosers and nothing else is proposed. It beats what's there. I just wish we could line buildings on Market all the way up like they did in the first 30 years of the 20th century. Those buildings have contributed so much to the street life. An upscale resi use is boring, though I like the design.

[a very long weekend]

that's incredible. i'd feel irrational civic pride every time i walked past that. yowza!

[pseudolus]

(Well, that's what it made me think of, anyway.)