Bold vision released for high-rise complex around S.F. Chronicle

The proposed 5M complex would include a 20-story apartment building to the west of the existing Chronicle building (left). The designs, which are still at an initial stage, are by the architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox. The development would be a joint venture of Hearst Corp., which owns The Chronicle, and Forest City. less The proposed 5M complex would include a 20-story apartment building to the west of the existing Chronicle building (left). The designs, which are still at an initial stage, are by the architectural firm Kohn ... more Photo: Forest City / Forest City Photo: Forest City / Forest City Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Bold vision released for high-rise complex around S.F. Chronicle 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

Three weeks after its draft environmental report was released, the architectural vision for the high-rise complex framing The Chronicle’s headquarters at Fifth and Mission streets has been released — a vision that aims to be large-scale and idiosyncratic at once.

The complex dubbed 5M would include a pair of towers rising more than 400 feet, one residential and one for offices. Six floors of the office tower would span an alleyway. But instead of straight lines and sleek glass, the walls of the towers would angle back and forth and the new space would come wrapped in everything from recycled brick to rust-red metal mesh — part of an effort to make the structures feel like part of the neighborhood, according to the architect.

“We want to do towers South of Market that are as creative as South of Market,” said Trent Tesch of Kohn Pedersen Fox, the architect for the 4-acre site. “We’re working diligently to make the materials and textures feel like the existing textures of the district.”

The development would be a joint venture of Hearst Corp., which owns The Chronicle, and Forest City Enterprises. A set of informal meetings with community groups begins Thursday to present various aspects of the proposal, such as the affordable housing component. There will be an initial presentation to the city’s Planning Commission on Nov. 20, which would also include public comments on the draft environmental impact report published last month.

No vote on the project would come before spring 2015, after additional public hearings.

The tallest tower, a 470-foot condominium building on Fifth Street between Minna and Natoma streets, would be skinned partly in panels composed of recycled bricks. The office high-rise to the south would be arranged as two interlocking sections with heights of 430 and 380 feet; the taller side of the shaft would have vertical white-metal fins that meander slightly as they rise, while the other section would feature inset red metal bands running side to side.

Besides adding layers of visual interest, the goal is to deflect ground-level winds and break down the mass of the towers, which if approved and built, would be taller than anything nearby. The office tower above the base would contain roughly 21,000 square feet of office space, according to the developers, slightly less than such 1980s towers at 101 California St. but about twice the girth of such residential high-rises as One Rincon.

On lower floors the scale is even larger: The fourth to ninth floors of the office tower would extend across Natoma Street and connect to a 200-foot office building to the west of the condominium tower. This would create acre-plus floor plates that, theoretically, would appeal to large tech firms that want an outpost in the city but at a Silicon Valley scale.

This type of move isn’t popular with planners. In response, the development team points out that the existing three-story Chronicle building has an equally wide addition that extends across Minna Street and begins at the second rather than the fourth floor. That addition would be removed if the project goes forward. The 90-year-old headquarters of The Chronicle would be restored, as would a four-story brick building from 1906 tucked inside the block on Minna Street.

The latter structure would be reserved for arts and community organizations while serving as the backdrop to a plaza on what now is a parking lot. The plaza would connect to Mission Street via Mary Street, a narrow alley that would be turned into the pedestrian path.

These ingredients are part of a larger effort to connect the multitower complex into the existing context of mid-block alleyways, Tesch said. Similarly, the office buildings would have their lobbies off Natoma Street while storefronts would be added to the ground floor of The Chronicle’s headquarters.

“We want to focus a lot of the activity inside the block, where open space is,” Tesch said. “That shapes the design above.”

The 5M proposal far exceeds the current height limits on the block, which range from 40 to 160 feet. The developers — who say that the current architectural concepts will continue to evolve — have applied to the city to create a special-use district that would address zoning and design issues and community benefits all at once.

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron