Made for the city

Located on a triangular 2.5-acre site just beyond Civic Center, 49 South Van Ness is one half of a mixed-use development that also includes a mixed-income residential tower—1550 Mission—as well as the adaptive reuse of a former bottling plant. 

The design process focused on meeting the needs of multiple users across each city department while adhering to a budget that had been approved by the Board of Supervisors in advance of the actual design. Four city agencies were relocated from separate subpar facilities into the LEED Platinum-certified 49 South Van Ness, delivered for less than the cost of a typical Class-A office building. Purchased by the city upon completion, it is now home to public-facing departments including Planning, Public Works, Building Inspections, and the new Permit Center—a one-stop facility that streamlines the permitting process and improves the experience for anyone conducting business with the city.

An inspiring workplace

Dynamic interiors and a variety of welcoming outdoor spaces establish a sense of transparency, openness, and civic engagement. With the city’s workplace culture shifting away from a rigid plan reflecting organizational hierarchy and toward an open network of diverse spaces and work settings, the layout within this 16-story tower allows people to choose the best environment in which to focus, learn, socialize, and collaborate. Enclosed rooms include private offices, collaboration zones, conference rooms, huddle rooms, and focus rooms, and are fully transparent. Adjacent balconies—including an expansive ninth floor space with south light and views of Twin Peaks—add further variety. A series of stacked, three-story atria with social spaces and communicating stairs serves as the collaborative heart of each city department, while the unique tower floor plans means that most workers are 15 feet or less from a window. 

The glass panels above the building’s second floor are electrochromic, changing their tint depending on the brightness outside at any given moment during the workday. The vision glass of the curtain wall minimizes solar gain and glare during sunny days, becoming more transparent on cloudy days or when in shade or shadow, which eliminates the need for window blinds.

Inviting by design

The two-story luminous glass base is designed to create a strong and inviting presence along South Van Ness Street. A frosted glass facade features a supergraphic of the municipal seal and looks into a lobby exhibition space anchored by a curving screen with a map of San Francisco. A shared outdoor space, known as “The Forum,” cuts through the site, running parallel to the retail base of 1550 Mission and leading visitors to the office building’s recessed entrance. Colorful cast steel sculptures by Sanaz Mazinani dot the path, while an energetic steel sculpture by Sarah Sze hangs from inside the main atrium.