San Francisco Federal Building
| San Francisco Federal Building | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Government offices |
| Architectural style | Deconstructivism |
| Location | 90 Seventh Street San Francisco, California |
| Coordinates | 37°46′45″N 122°24′43″W / 37.77917°N 122.41194°WCoordinates: 37°46′45″N 122°24′43″W / 37.77917°N 122.41194°W |
| Construction started | 2003 |
| Opening | 2007 |
| Cost | US$144 million |
| Height | |
| Roof | 71.3 m (234 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 18 |
| Floor area | 56,206 m2 (605,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect |
Thom Mayne of Morphosis SmithGroup |
| Developer | U.S. General Services Administration |
| Engineer | Arup |
| Main contractor |
Hunt Construction Group Webcor Builders |
| References | |
The San Francisco Federal Building is an 18-story, 71.3 m (234 ft) building at 90 7th Street on the corner of Mission and 7th streets in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The building was designed by the Morphosis architectural firm, as a supplement to the Phillip Burton Federal Building at 450 Golden Gate Avenue. Thom Mayne of Morphosis designed the building using a juxtaposition of gray concrete walls, perforated metal panels, and custom, faceted wood ceilings. The building was expected to be completed in 2005, but construction issues and delays pushed the project completion to 2007.
The building was designed to be a 'green' building consuming less than half the power of a standard office tower—an indication of how building design can help slash emissions of greenhouse gases. Utilizing natural light to illuminate 80% of the building helped it achieve worldwide recognition as the first Federal Building to be certified under the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria. Additionally, it was the first naturally ventilated office building on the west coast since the advent of air conditioning.
The building features some elevators which stop on every third floor to promote employee interaction and health. Users of the building exit the elevators and walk either up or down one floor via stairs. There are, however, also elevators which stop on every floor for users unable or unwilling to negotiate stairs.
The construction budget and cost for the building was $144 million. The architect's decision to eliminate the usual HVAC system saved $11 million in construction costs. At the same time, the design's nonfunctional use of extended, folded metal sunshading at ground level, which in the opinion of some are purely for aesthetic effect, and require extensive galvanized steel bracing, added millions in materials and fabrication costs back into the project.
Morphosis' design was selected at least partly because of its projected energy efficiency; a requirement of the GSA's brief. At the time of design, the GSA did not mandate LEED certification, and the building was not evaluated for LEED certification until after construction. The building then failed to meet a significant level of LEED certification. Mayne said "I wasn't arrogant, but I was confident — I just assumed we had the platinum (the highest LEED) rating. All of a sudden we went through LEED and it wasn't working." In fact, the building only received silver LEED qualifications; two steps below platinum.
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