ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ BUILDowntownSF
BUILDowntownSF (formerly BuildSF) is an initiative that consists of urban planners, architects, and general contractors committed to revitalizing the public realm and ensuring a vibrant downtown. BUILDowntownSF identifies and rallies behind projects that grow the economy, improve the city’s sustainability, and deliver housing and transportation infrastructure that meets the needs of the growing region.
In 2023, the focus is on our downtown neighborhoods with a goal to collectively restore our economic core. BUILDowntownSF consists of meetings, tours, and activations throughout the year.
Sponsors
Upcoming Events
September 9, 2024: India Basin Waterfront Tour
2:00 PM - 3:00 PMÌý | In-Person | Meet at Café Alma, 888 Innes Ave
In 2014, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department acquired the property at 900 Innes Avenue in India Basin, a site that featuresÌýscenic views, waterfront access, and natural resourcesÌýin San Francisco’s Bay View Hunters Point (BVHP) neighborhood.
At India Basin, the Department, in partnership with Trust for Public Land, the San Francisco Parks Alliance, A. Philip Randolph Institute, and the BVHP community endeavor to build a park that is both spectacular and crucial to the health of San Francisco’s southeast communities, which have been historically underserved. The development of 900 Innes will transform a post-industrial brownfield into the 21st-century legacy park in a historic waterfront context, with an emphasis on:
- Habitat and wetland restoration and enhancement
- Public access
- Resiliency to sea level rise
- Social equity
- Waterfront recreation
The proposed plan combines the existing India Basin Shoreline Park area and 900 Innes property into one grand 10-acre waterfront park development that closes a critical gap in the San Francisco Bay Trail.
As such, there is a unique opportunity to design these properties so that the India Basin shoreline becomes a seamless waterfront park experience on a grand scale.
*Registration is limited, RSVP below to attend.
Previous Events
April 24, 2023: Salesforce Transit Center Tour
2:00 PM - 4:00 PMÌý | In-Person | 425 Mission Street, Between Mission and Minna Street on Fremont
Over four blocks long, theÌý)'²õÌý, is a multimodal transit hub. Dubbed the Grand Central Station of the West, it connects nine transit systems from eight Bay Area counties. The Salesforce Transit Center consists of six stories, four of which are open to the public, including a bus deck with 37 bus bays and a rooftop park, containing 13 gardens for residents and visitors to enjoy along with free public activities. On this behind-the-scenes tour, you’ll see firsthand the features of the four levels that are open to the public, along with four art features and the two-story train box already built to be outfitted when Caltrain and ultimately, California High-Speed Rail's statewide service comes to the Center. *Registration is limited, RSVP below to attend.
January 25, 2023: San Francisco Building Conversion
3:00 PM - 4:00 PMÌý | In-Person + Virtual | 235 Montgomery Street, Suite 760
Presenters:
- David Israel, AIA, LEED AP – Principal,
- Chris Haegglund AIA, LEED AP – Principal, ​
- Zach Prowda, AIA, LEED AP (Via Zoom) – Associate Principal,
Working from home, full or part-time, is a cultural paradigm shift leaving millions of square feet of commercial office space vacant or under-utilized. At the sameÌýtime, the housing crisis facing the San Francisco Bay Area is dire, challenging ourÌýsocial structure and the area’s economic viability and growth. These twoÌýsignificant headwatersÌýmay provide the opportunity for a synergistic solution:Ìýconverting office buildings into multifamily housing, whether market-rate,Ìýaffordable or supportive, for rent or for sale.Ìý​
This interactive session will consider the potential for the adaptive reuse of office building-to-residential and many of the issues that impact theirÌýconsideration, both positively and negatively. Discussion will include what is needed to convert buildings into housing, and important factors to consider when evaluating office-to-housing conversion. *Attendance is limited, RSVP below to attend.
January 11, 2023: San Francisco Permit Center Tour
3:00 PM - 4:00 PMÌý | In-Person Tour | 49 South Van Ness
Presenters:
- Carmen Chu, City Administrator
- Katy Tang, Director of the Office of Small Business
- Rebecca Villareal-Mayer, Director of the San Francisco Permit Center
Join us for a presentation and tour of the new . On the second floor of 49 South Van Ness (49SVN), the new provides a centralized place for construction, special events, and business permits. The Permit Center streamlines key services for improving homes and properties, opening and running a business, and planning community events. *Attendance is limited, RSVP below to attend.
December 14, 2022: Downtown Recovery
10:30 AM - 11:30 AMÌý | In-Person + Virtual | 235 Montgomery Street #760
Speakers:
- Anne Taupier, Director of Development,Ìý
- Rich Hillis, Director of Planning,Ìý
The Covid pandemic has created the largest disruption to the life and economy of downtown San Francisco since the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes. The most significant impact on downtown involves the long-term question of whether workers will return to physical offices - with ripple effects on other sectors such as retail, activation of public space, and transportation patterns. The Planning Department and OEWD are engaged in a coordinated effort across city departments and in partnership with external organizations to assess and address these dynamics, to ensure that downtown San Francisco is more resilient, economically vibrant, and socially inclusive in the future.
November 16, 2022: San Francisco Waterfront
1:30 PM - 2:30 PMÌý | In-Person + Virtual | 235 Montgomery Street #760
Speakers:
- Brad Benson, Waterfront Resilience Director,
- AnMarie Rodgers, Director of Citywide Planning,
- Adam Varat, Waterfront Resilience Program Deputy Program Manager – Planning,
San Francisco has always been defined by its relationship to the Bay. Join us for a BuildSF discussion on the future of the San Francisco waterfront as the City plans to adapt to sea level rise and other effects of climate change. Adaptation Strategies are different ways for the City to create a resilient, sustainable, and equitable waterfront for the next 100 years. From these seven strategies, we will identify a preferred approach to reduce flood risks from sea level rise and extreme storms and provide an opportunity to invest in and bring public benefits to San Francisco's waterfront.
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Brad Benson |
Adam Varat |
AnMarie Rodgers |
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October 12, 2022: Virtual Call
8:00 AM - 9:00 AMÌý |Ìý Meeting via Zoom
PRESENTATION BY: ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½
Speakers: Rodney Fong, President & CEO and Diane Laster, Director of Membership Development
BuildSF is an initiative that convenes partners in the building, construction, and real estate industries to support economy-boosting projects in San Francisco. BuildSF identifies and rallies behind projects that grow the economy, improve the city’s sustainability, and deliver housing and transportation infrastructure that meets the needs of the growing region. BuildSF consists of monthly committee meetings and programming throughout the year.
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Rodney Fong, President & CEO |
Diane Laster |
September 14th, 2022: City Hall Dome Tour
11:00 AM | 1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place
Speakers: Rob Reiter, City Hall Building Manager
Join the Chamber of Commerce on a behind-the-scenes tour of – only available at the request of elected officials. Known as the People’s Palace, San Francisco City Hall is the seat of government for the City and County of San Francisco. Steel, granite, and four floors of white marble interiors make up San Francisco's symbol of resilience, built after the previous City Hall was destroyed in the Great Earthquake and Fire of April 18, 1906. Civic leaders were determined to demonstrate the city's rebirth in time for the start of the World's Fair of 1915. Designed by architect Arthur Brown, Jr. and begun in 1913, natives and the world were suitably awed by the gilt exterior detailing, the sweeping grand staircase, and the massive dome. At 307 feet in height, the dome is a full 42 feet taller than the dome of the nation's capital.
DISCLAIMER: There is no elevator to the top of the dome and this tour includes a large number of stairs.
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August 10th, 2022: 100 Stockton Street
Presentation by:
Speakers:
The is a transformative repositioning of the former Macy's Men's Store, located steps from iconic Union Square in San Francisco. With eight rentable floors above grade seven stories tall, the existing building was originally designed for a single retail tenant in the early 1970s. With a Brutalist aesthetic and an aging facade, it lacked connectivity with the pedestrian-oriented neighborhood. The project strives to enhance the neighborhood's vitality and creates a new paradigm for modern building repositioning, through the introduction of a new mixed-use program for multi-tenant retail, workplace, and rooftop hospitality. Drawing from its historical context, the use of traditional proportions, rhythm, and materiality results in a timeless design that will become an icon for the city.
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Josh MyerbergÌý Ìý
JULY 13, 2022: CENTRAL SUBWAY PROJECT TOUR
PRESENTATION BY:
Speakers: Enrique Aguilar, Public Information Officer & Lulu Feliciano, Public Outreach & Engagement Manager
will improve public transportation in San Francisco by extending the Muni Metro T Third Line through SoMa, Union Square, and Chinatown. By providing a direct, rapid transit link between downtown and the existing T Third Line route on 3rd Street, the Central Subway will vastly improve transportation to and from some of the city's busiest, most densely populated areas. When the Central Subway opens in 2022, T Third Line trains will travel mostly underground from the 4th Street Caltrain Station to Chinatown, bypassing heavy traffic on congested 4th and Stockton streets. Four new stations were built along the 1.7-mile alignment.
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Enrique Aguilar Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Lulu Feliciano
June 8, 2022: Francisco Park
Speakers: Casey Kasten, Sr. Project Manager
Cahill Contractors is on the project construction team,Ìýwhile 450 Architects, BFS Landscape Architects, andÌýSherwood Design Engineers areÌýresponsible for theÌýdesigns. Construction of Francisco Park began in the summer of 2019! The rainwater catchment system has been installed, the convenience/maintenance buildingÌýisÌýcomplete, utilities and underground work areÌýcompleted, retaining walls are in place, grading isÌýfinished, and ADA-accessible walkways and railingsÌýare installed. In the comingÌýmonths, we will see theÌýplantings continuing to grow! The park openedÌýofficially on April 27, 2022.
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Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Casey Kasten
May 11, 2022: Pier 70
Speakers: , Swathi Bonda, Sr. Director of Development & Tim Bacon, Sr. Director of Development
In partnership with the Port of San Francisco, Brookfield Properties is building a very San Francisco place. Pier 70 puts creativity at the center, is open and inviting to all, and which brings people closer to the beautiful San Francisco Bay. Pier 70 will establish a real estate and operational creative platform for innovation and cross-pollination across technology, arts, making, and design to create a best-in-class mixed-use district. Historic Building 12, the creative heart of Pier 70, will provide a unique retail/maker experience. Building 12 sets the tone for Pier 70's future vertical developments and serves as the primary amenity to attract anchor office users and drive office and residential absorption.
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ÌýSwathi BondaÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýTim Bacon
April 13, 2022: Dogpatch Power Station
Speakers: , Enrique Landa, Partner & Tina Chang, Head of Vertical Development
For the first time in 150 years, Dogpatch is reconnecting to the Bay with a reenergized, urban waterfront development. One deeply infused with the neighborhood's boundary-pushing creativity and masterful craftsmanship. Emerging from Power Station's shores is a commercial opportunity built for the future needs of your workforce. New construction and rehabilitated buildings are brought to life with flexible spaces created for collaboration. And just outside, active, mixed-use energy and colorful Dogpatch character supports an inspiring workforce lifestyle.
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Ìý Enrique LandaÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýTina Chang
March 9, 2022: SFO Courtyard Connector 3 Tour
Tour Host:
The associate architect to HOK, MEI is providing architecture and design services on the Courtyard 3 Connector project. Located between Terminals 2 and 3, C3C will provide a secure airside connector between the gates at the two terminals. The programed space includes office space, tenant lease spaces, passenger amenities, and lounges as well as other Airport and tenant needs.
