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Project Location:  200 Linden Street, South San Francisco

Project Size:  74,000SF

Date completed:  TBD

Client:  Metrovation

Additional Information:

FENNIE+MEHL Architects and Ed Fernandez Architects collaborated on the design of a new Master Plan for the City Center of South San Francisco, CA. The development spans more than eight city blocks and is a cornerstone of a major revitalization of the main commercial district of the city. The "signature building" is the tallest building in the Master Plan and was planned as a 7-story office building with ground floor retail space and for it to be the largest in the redevelopment area.

FENNIE+MEHL complimented Ed Fernandez Architects' design efforts for the early planning phases of the project, and prepared all of the design presentation renderings. This presentation was pivotal in clarifying the design for the Redevelopment Agency. As the project proceeded, Ed Fernandez was the Designer and FENNIE+MEHL Architects were the Architect of Record.

Phase One of this project consisted of a 7-story office building and adjacent two-story atrium building for a total of approximately 74,000 SF. The site development located the primary building entrance from Linden Avenue with pedestrian linkages to Grand Avenue, through the main tower, with a circulation cross axis to the lower building and future phases. The lower portion of the building included a two-story skylight atrium space and was tailored for retail tenants as part of an extension to the existing Grand Avenue commercial district. The ground floor of the tower was planned for a high-end service retail tenant such as a stock brokerage or other retail financial services, with general office users on the upper floors. Automobile parking was handled by two "pedestrian friendly" adjacent surface lots.

Overall the development intended to project a professional and aesthetically pleasing appearance including attractive facades on all four sides with multiple entry points. The generous use of glazing at the ground floor lobby areas provided an open and welcoming feel with natural light at the various entrance points. The initial phase of the development was intended to demonstrate the developer's commitment to the redevelopment of downtown South San Francisco. As such, the quality of materials and the attention to the details will be of the best quality. In order to make the building fit into the community the project was designed to be not only attractive but knitted into the existing pedestrian circulation patterns of the area. The building aesthetics was designed to project a fresh outlook for the community and the office floors were designed to be attractive to information technology firms.

In response to concerns from the Redevelopment Agency of size of the project within the existing downtown context, the exterior form of the building was configured to break down the mass and minimize the disparity with the lower buildings in the immediate area. The curved top softens skyline profile and allows for easy recognition from Highway 101. The exterior skin materials and the variety of fenestration patterns combined to give the appearance of a collection of buildings, rather than one large building, further contributing to the perceived reduction of the bulk of the building.