Tower design at Market and Van Ness dramatic but down to earth

The prior tower proposal was designed by Richard Meier & Partners, known for L.A.’s Getty Museum<137,2014/12/31,David Fuente1> in Los Angeles<137>. less The prior tower proposal was designed by Richard Meier & Partners, known for L.A.’s Getty Museum<137,2014/12/31,David Fuente1> in Los Angeles<137>. ... more Photo: Richard Meier & Partners / Richard Meier & Partners Photo: Richard Meier & Partners / Richard Meier & Partners Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Tower design at Market and Van Ness dramatic but down to earth 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

The newest design for a housing tower at the should-be-prominent corner of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue pairs a scalloped white shaft in the air with a flamboyant response on the ground to the harsh winds that toppled the last proposal for the site.

The 37-story high-rise would be clad in masonry and glass, with three wedge-shaped cuts in the facade that could lessen windy downdrafts while creating lounges for residents of the 308 proposed units. But the public at large could enjoy the changes on Oak Street along the north edge of the property, where a portion of the block would be closed to create a landscaped plaza sheltered in part by perforated canopies 20 to 30 feet high.

It’s an approach that trades skyline drama for sidewalk comfort with visual flair — a swap taking cues from the unusual location, but worth emulating as other towers make their way to this blustery part of town.

The design team pairs Snøhetta, best-known locally for its addition to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, with SCB, the architects of the twin One Rincon towers alongside the Bay Bridge. Snøhetta concentrated on the plaza and SCB on the tower, but ground and air were conceived as a unit from the start.

“This has been a really interesting collaboration, with back-and-forth each step of the way,” said Strachan Forgan, a principal at SCB. “It’s such a unique location that it deserves creative energy.”

Prime location

The developers are Build Inc., based in nearby Hayes Valley, and New York investment firm GTIS. In recent months they purchased the site, which includes a parking lot between Market and Oak streets and a doughnut shop at the corner of Market and Van Ness.

The previous owner of the parking lot also envisioned a 400-foot tower, a glass-veiled form designed by Richard Meier & Partners, one of the nation’s most prominent architectural firms. But that high-rise never got past the conceptual stage — in part because the intricately tapered design could not be massaged into a shape that would prevent ground-level winds from exceeding allowable city standards, at least in a way that made economic sense.

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 in the next month, with an aim of receiving approvals by the end of 2015.

Form and function

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, project manager for Snøhetta. The canopy designs are evolving, as is the plaza; 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 of late, 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 blend of glass and masonry is 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.”

By the standards of San Francisco’s ongoing boom, with the 1,070-foot Salesforce Tower likely to become visible this year above First and Mission streets, the demure shaft with the working name of One Oak is relatively modest.

Of both earth and air

But the corner of Van Ness Avenue and Market Street, long a symbolic portal to the downtown core, is of defining importance in a city that will flourish only if planners and developers find ways to meld the established landscape with tomorrow’s needs — not just on the ground, but in the air. And the need to conceive a tower in tandem with its surroundings is one that too often gets lost, which is why the notion of inviting, canopy-shielded sidewalks and public spaces is so intriguing.

The slinky tower envisioned by Meier had the potential of being a sculptural landmark. The tower being crafted for the new developers by SCB and Snøhetta has the potential of being a low-key but satisfying addition to Civic Center, bottom to top. It will be interesting to see in the coming months if the final plans live up to the initial promise.

And for those of you already intent on breaking that New Year’s resolution to diet, take note: The doughnut shop is set to close on Monday.

John King is urban design critic for The San Francisco Chronicle. E-mail: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron