- Location:
- San Francisco, CA
- Architect:
- Perkins&Will
- Structural Engineer:
- DCI Engineers
- Contractor:
- Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction
- Developer:
- SKS Partners
- Award Category:
- Commercial Wood Design – Mid-Rise
- Photos:
- David Wakely, Kyle Jeffers, DCI Engineers, Alex Nye
Architects took advantage of mass timber’s long-span capabilities to design this iconic four-story structure, built on a challenging triangular site. Precisely fabricated glulam beams and columns connect seamlessly with cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor panels using integrated connectors. The beams were notched, allowing the panels to sit flush with the top of the glulam to maximize floor-to-ceiling heights. The 25x30-foot grid was optimized for open office configurations, demonstrating the flexibility of mass timber for commercial spaces, which also contributed to leasing the building quickly. The wood structure was left visible to the exterior to make a statement about the importance of building systems with a light carbon footprint. A life cycle assessment of the project found the use of mass timber resulted in a 51 percent reduction of embodied carbon compared to a concrete structure, resulting in a reduction of more than 2,500 metric tons of CO2 (equivalent). 134,000 sf / Type IV construction