“We had to sandblast decades of paint and industrial residue to reveal the inherent beauty of the old space, which then provided our canvas,” notes William S. Duff Jr., AIA, founder and managing principal of William Duff Architects (WDA), of his firm’s new office inside a former light-industrial building on the western part of San Francisco’s South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood, or West SoMa.
Founded in 1998, the architecture and design firm has almost always been located in SoMa—where some of the city’s most significant new construction projects of the last 30 years are located. In East SoMa, near the Embarcadero waterfront, these new buildings include luxury residences, such as 181 Fremont, Mira, and Yerba Buena Lofts (designed by Heller Manus, Studio Gang, and Stanley Saitowitz with Natoma Architects, respectively).
In Central SoMa—the cultural and civic core of the neighborhood and within a short walking distance from Union Square—built projects include the Moscone Center Expansion (SOM with Mark Cavagnero), Jewish Contemporary Art Museum (Studio Daniel Libeskind), SFMOMA (Snohetta with EHDD), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (Fumihiko Maki) and the Museum of the African Diaspora (the late Philip Freelon).
West SoMa, on the other hand, is where the existing building stock, some of which dates back to the late 19th century, tells the story of SoMa’s past—as a tent city for prospectors during the Gold Rush era and a neighborhood for working-class immigrants after the 1906 earthquake and retired shipyard workers in the mid-20th century. Since the start of the 21st century, West SoMa is a destination for technology startups and technology workers.
When WDA leadership decided to relocate their office from leased space to their own building while remaining in West SoMa, William Duff and the rest of the team knew with few opportunities for a new build in the area, the adaptive reuse of an existing building would be their most viable option.
“Adaptive reuse allows us to give new life to old buildings that have character and good bones,” explains Principal David K. Plotkin, AIA, LEEP AP, NCARB, the project lead. “From a design standpoint, we find it very alluring to celebrate a building’s original architecture, then juxtapose it with modern design.”
DUE DILIGENCE
WDA found its historic canvas on which to layer a modern aesthetic at 1275 Folsom Street. The property was developed in the 1800s though the current building was constructed likely after the 1906 earthquake and fire (charred wood was discovered during excavation for the new foundation). Over the years, the building
has housed a variety of light-industrial businesses—from an ornamental iron shop, ice machinery shop and a printing press to a commercial flooring store.
It is along a major thoroughfare undergoing transformation: A streetscape and public infrastructure project is underway to support Folsom Street’s evolution into an aesthetically pleasing and safe corridor for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. The proximity to public transit is important, as Duff puts it, to “enhance our staff’s ability to commute.”
Duff adds that the building checked off the rest of the WDA team’s wish list, including, “a large volume of space with natural materials that we could highlight; access to outdoor space, fresh air and natural light; and a significant street frontage, so we could have more of an integral presence within the community.”
For Duff, among the most challenging aspects of an adaptive-reuse project was the big picture. One part involved “working with jurisdictional agencies so they could better understand how a change-of-use would benefit not only the building itself, but also the surrounding neighborhood”.
Through its long-standing Commercial Practice, WDA understood the other part of the big picture early. “It’s important to do due diligence before you purchase a building,” states Plotkin, who previously headed the Commercial Practice. “You should understand what the investment could be. Structural upgrades, a seismic retrofit, ADA accessibility and other updates could be required by code, especially if you are applying for a change-of-use permit.”
The building at 1275 Folsom was constructed for manufacturing, so systems and utilities—power distribution, data setup, HVAC—were upgraded to service office use. Interface Engineering, the MEP consultant, worked closely with WDA to redesign the mechanical system. WDA specified energy-efficient cooling and heating equipment, along with a more efficient state-of-the-art MERV 13-rated mechanical system for air circulation, independent fresh-air intake for all conference rooms, and improved insulation and seals at walls and openings, resulting in a workplace that provides occupant health and comfort and supports the Well Building Standard.
CREATING THE WORKSHOP
Along with addressing these adaptive-reuse requirements, WDA was able to bring to life its design vision for what Duff describes as “an architecture workshop.”
On the building’s exterior, a simple side door was removed to bring the façade back to its original symmetrical form. Exterior blade signage features WDA’s new logo, part of a rebranding effort the firm accomplished concurrently with moving into its new office. Flanking the street-level entrance and lobby, and creating visual engagement with the street scene, are an office café and a large conference room with expansive, street-facing windows. Duff notes, “The programming in front of our building is more activated now than it was during its prior use as a retail shop and warehouse.”
Inside, past the entrance and lobby, the 7,200-square-foot space expands to double-height and a natural-light-filled open floor plan. The original ceiling and bowstring truss structure were sandblasted and juxtapose with modern elements, such as a neutral palette of black, white and accented gray. Located on axis with the entry lobby and a tree-anchored central gathering area, a new statement staircase in black leads to a spacious mezzanine.
Other areas for gathering, working and meeting abound, including a materials library, print room with more space to lay out plans, two smaller conference rooms and two private phone booths. Amenities include wellness and breakrooms; well-appointed restrooms; indoor bicycle parking next to a shower; a rear deck that connects with the outdoors, accessed through a large rollup door; and an art program curated by art consultant Laura Grigsby.
Sixteen5Hundred, the lighting designer and vendor, provided expertise to help WDA illuminate the office without visible fixtures. For example, the bowstring truss roof is illuminated without any visible conduit or exposed wires.
The WDA team worked with Holmes structural engineers on significant efforts to reuse the elements of the existing shell and concrete as efficiently as possible. When part of the existing framing had to be taken down, the joists were reused to expand the mezzanine, and repurposed by Millworker Michael Dotter for cabinetry and countertops in the café.
WDA’s office offers a modern, hybrid-style work environment—a place Duff describes as “a space for serendipitous exchange among staff and relaxed conversations with clients.” The purposefully outward-facing adaptive reuse of the building is also a boon for this part of West SoMa. Duff observes, “Since we’ve moved in, we’ve seen growth within the design community in our neighborhood and we anticipate seeing more in the future.”
PHOTOS: Matthew Millman unless otherwise noted
Retrofit Team
ARCHITECT AND CLIENT: William Duff Architects/WDA
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: EVOLV
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Holmes
MEP CONSULTANT: Interface Engineering
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER: Rockridge Geotechnical
LIGHTING CONSULTANT: Sixteen5Hundred
ART CONSULTANT: Laura Grigsby Art Consulting
MILLWORKER: Michael Dotter
Materials
WORKSTATIONS: Haworth
CARPET: Patcraft
SHADES: Mecho
BREAKROOM CABINETS: IKEA
BREAKROOM COUNTERTOP: Da Vinci Marble
CONFERENCE ROOM CUSTOM TABLE: Northwood Design Partners
FANS: Big Ass Fans
RESTROOMS: Kohler
SHOWER: Best Bath Systems
STOREFRONT: Arcadia
LIGHTING: ERCO and dweLED from WAC Lighting
APPLIANCES: Panasonic, KitchenAid, Bosch and Insinkerator
PAINT: Dunn Edwards and Benjamin Moore