Transbay Block 9

Fougeron Architecture, in collaboration with SOM, recently was awarded the commision to design and build the Transbay Block 9 site in downtown San Francisco. The role that FA will undertake is design of the first 8 levels consisting of retail and mixed use at ground floor and the above 7 podium levels of affordable housing. The project is one of the most important development opportunities for San Francisco and the Bay Area at the beginning of this century. The goals for the city are bold and visionary. The replacement of residual 20th Century freeway infrastructure with a vibrant, mixed-use residential neighborhood is a model for the 21st Century transformation of American cities. San Francisco’s primary resource is its people and its diverse intersection of cultures, ideas, and communities. Transbay Block 9 will reconnect downtown neighborhoods that have been divided for over half a century and connect the City to the region and eventually, to the rest of the state with the new intrastate rail line. We are privileged to have the opportunity to participate in San Francisco’s next major evolution and our goal will be to weave Block 9 seamlessly into the fabric of our City. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, Rincon Hill transformed into a mixed-industrial and transit hub. Interstate 480 and its connection to the 101 overshadowed Block 9, further distancing it from its character as a residential, mixed-use neighborhood. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake set in motion the next transformation of Block 9 with the removal of the freeways. The development guidelines have been thoughtfully created by the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency with the goal of engaging a pedestrian friendly landscape that supports a range of residential, retail and open space opportunities.