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The densifying South of Market neighbourhood in San Francisco is becoming a haven for shimmering glass towers, and new renderings released by Foster + Partners shows how the latest set of skyscrapers will fit in with the district's emerging contemporary vernacular. Designed in collaboration with Heller Manus Architects, the Oceanwide Center was recently granted permission from the Planning Commission.
Two mixed-use towers will hold over two million square feet of space. The 184-metre — 605-foot — tower fronting First Street will hold residences while another 259-metre — 850-foot — skyscraper will contain residential and office uses alongside a Waldorf Astoria hotel. The buildings will seemingly hover five storeys above the streetscape due to an open and transparent ground plane, described by the architects as an "urban room." A network of pedestrian routes, which act as extensions of the street grid, will enhance the development's connective relationship with the area. A number of art installations and a rich landscaping program will liven up the space further.
The taller building incorporates Foster's trademark diagrid framework, as seen on their other works like New York City's Hearst Tower and London's 30 St Mary Axe. An orthogonal structural system has been employed both for seismic stability and to ensure a high degree of flexibility for tenants. The rooftop will feature a semi-enclosed garden that provides tremendous views of the downtown core and San Francisco Bay.
Oceanwide Center is the last significant project of this scale to rise around the under-construction Transbay Terminal. It was made possible after a rezoning exercise that was put in place to encourage high-density development in the neighbourhood. Now that planning permissions have been obtained, development officials are hoping to begin work on the project in November 2016.
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