SAN FRANCISCO | Mission Bay

[fimiak]

Why is the facade an oxidized green color? That is bizarre. I think the quality of the render makes it look a lot worse than it will be (I hope). The green thing on top will most likely not be visible most of the time, and glass never actually looks like this on finished projects.

[WildCowboy]

For another perspective on it, here is a shot of the physical model from the Studios project page.

[timbad]

Originally Posted by WildCowboy

For another perspective...

I'll try to remain hopeful. it will be nice to have that parcel filled in, even with something neutral. just don't want ughly.

[timbad]

this is barely not MB proper, but nuzzles up to its southeast corner, so I'll throw it in here until it gets its own thread. looks like it is finally going to get started within the next 6 months

[timbad]

weekend update...

more of the scaffolding has come down on block 2 ('Channel MB'), revealing some of the Fourth St facade:



here with the corner at the alleyway (edit: and I take back my earlier comment about the two-toned brown not being intentional - now I think it is):



so now we're starting to get a feel for what that side of Fourth St will look like. looking north:



from farther down Fourth, looking back north at block 5 and Strata:



work continues on Mission Bay Blvd North... for months, until a few weeks ago, there was a gap in the roadway where it meets Fourth (in the foreground of the shot). looked like there was some sewer work still pending, but that section has been filled in and the curbs extended on either side, so imagine the roadway should get completed soon too, then the sidewalk. looking west from Fourth St, block 11 ('MB 360') in the background



meanwhile, on the other side of the future Commons, MB Blvd South has quietly moved forward, with its sidewalk (bordering the north side of UCSF campus) in the process of being laid down (in one of my recent comments I had forgotten that the sidewalks on either side of the commons are not poured - they get pavers):



they've moved up a floor since the last shot of block 13W ('Sol'):



and in this shot taken from across Channel St, in the right foreground you can also barely see wood-framed columns starting to appear where I think the highrise portion of Sol will be. block 13E and block 5 in the background



the demolished portion of the warehouse next to the roundabout has been left a tidy mesa of gravel atop a dirt desert:

[timbad]

here showing some of the new development in its habitat:

[timbad]

a few more...

a couple shots looking at the construction from the south, from the UCSF campus. in the future you would be standing between two UCSF buildings (or between a building and a power plant), looking across the Commons. block 11 ('MB 360') on the left:



and a better shot of the full south side of block 11:



moving over to Third St, this is looking at the future stoops of the BMR section of block 2 ('Channel MB'). even tho it looks like there will be a small landscaped buffer between the sidewalk and the entries, it seems a little strange to me to have the stoops face directly onto such a busy street as Third, instead of retail, but maybe that will feel different once more development goes in.



here is the public safety building seen from the north (from approx where the block 2 stoops are. taken a week ago)



closer-up. the covered pedestrian walkway has been removed from along Third...



... and they have started working on the sidewalk area there, with the low wall in place...



...that appears will be greened when finished, at least in this rendering (lower-left corner. source):

[tech12]

Originally Posted by timbad

here showing some of the new development in its habitat:

Sure it's a bit "sterile" and different compared to the rest of SF, but I'm liking Mission Bay more and more as it fills in (and "different" is good! Not everything in SF should be the same). Just needs a few more highrises along with all the mid/low rises. I hope there's enough retail when it's all done to adequately serve all the new residents and keep the street life interesting.

[mt_climber13]

It looks a lot like newer parts of Amsterdam. Large block size buildings are nothing new, in fact, you will see it in all European cities in the central districts with the classic architecture taking up an entire block as one large building.

[timbad]

socketsite had lots of goodies today, one of them being an encouraging update on the Giants' Mission Rock development:

The target timing for the Giants' massive Mission Rock development has been moved up by a year with work on the first phase, which includes a tower up to 320 feet in height, now slated to commence in 2015. ...

[peanut gallery]

^That is great news. Looking at the plans, two of the taller buildings would be part of phase 1, and perhaps best of all Anchor Brewing's development on the piers will be too.

Originally Posted by wakamesalad

It looks a lot like newer parts of Amsterdam. Large block size buildings are nothing new, in fact, you will see it in all European cities in the central districts with the classic architecture taking up an entire block as one large building.

Funny you should mention this. When I was in Amsterdam in October, I spent a few days in neighboring Utrecht. Their primary office district, which is on the outskirts, reminded me of Mission Bay. Except Mission Bay is built in more of a dense grid environment, whereas Utrecht's district is more spread out with lawns and meandering roads and driveways. But the individual buildings are similar in design and scale.

And this is a country I tend to put on something of a pedestal, so maybe I'm too jaded about my hometown (or just look at some other places with rose-colored glasses).

[easy as pie]

yeah, except that the streets/roads in mission bay are so pointlessly wide that even fully built out, the area will seem just as deserted as it does now. bah, not worth the complaining, i guess

[timbad]

Originally Posted by easy as pie

yeah, except that the streets/roads in mission bay are so pointlessly wide that even fully built out, the area will seem just as deserted as it does now. ...

as someone who lives in the neighborhood, I don't understand this comment. the streets that are envisioned as minor thoroughfares (Fourth, Channel) are wider than others, but, just to give an example, a couple years back I measured Fourth St at 17 paces wide south of the Creek (the new part), vs. 27 paces at King St (the old part).

I am very much in favor of complete streets that make sure all modes of transportation are accommodated, which usually means proportionally less room for cars than is traditional, and I do quibble with the width of the sidewalks in MB and wish the bike infrastructure was even more robust, but I don't really have a problem with the width of the streets. ... if they ever were to, say, widen the sidewalks at the expense of the street, I certainly would not complain, tho.

[1977]

Originally Posted by timbad

as someone who lives in the neighborhood, I don't understand this comment. the streets that are envisioned as minor thoroughfares (Fourth, Channel) are wider than others, but, just to give an example, a couple years back I measured Fourth St at 17 paces wide south of the Creek (the new part), vs. 27 paces at King St (the old part).

I am very much in favor of complete streets that make sure all modes of transportation are accommodated, which usually means proportionally less room for cars than is traditional, and I do quibble with the width of the sidewalks in MB and wish the bike infrastructure was even more robust, but I don't really have a problem with the width of the streets. ... if they ever were to, say, widen the sidewalks at the expense of the street, I certainly would not complain, tho.

I couldn't agree more about better biking infrastructure and wider sidewalks, especially along Fourth where the commercial strip will be.

[timbad]

Originally Posted by 1977

I couldn't agree more about better biking infrastructure and wider sidewalks, especially along Fourth where the commercial strip will be.

ironically, given that it is taller and closer to the activity of the ballpark, it may be that Mission Rock ends up doing a better job than MB proper when it comes to being pedestrian friendly and feeling more cohesive

[1977]

Originally Posted by timbad

ironically, given that it is taller and closer to the activity of the ballpark, it may be that Mission Rock ends up doing a better job than MB proper when it comes to being pedestrian friendly and feeling more cohesive

Yes, it's beginning to look that way!

[timbad]

the rest of the draping has come off block 2 Channel Mission Bay, and crews were quite busy both there and on block 3 ('Venue'). from the park kitty-corner to it:



Fourth St side:



the view more directly north up Fourth:



a look at a part of the retail wall fronting Fourth:



and at the corner of Fourth and Channel:



a look south down the Fourth St sidewalk from the corner in the previous pic:



down the street at block 3, this is their retail wall. looks like there will be some sort of wavy feature below the copper sun-screen:



jumping over to the BMR section of block 2, a look at street-level along Channel:



and a peek at one of the stoops on Third St, which shows that there will be wooden surfaces on the walk-ups and steps, a nice touch:

[timbad]

elsewhere, away from blocks 2/3... they've poured the rest of the roadbed on MB Blvd North and are getting ready for the sidewalk pavers:



...which they might start once they're done at MB Blvd South:



the UCSF building is getting some of its stone cladding around the ground floor and columns:



and there does seem to be some preliminary work going on related to the roadway/landscaped area in front of the medical center:



over at the public safety building, where they were also hard at work on a Saturday, here is the south side of the building:



...roughly corresponding to this render (source):

[mt_climber13]

The sidewalks are beautiful- the stone (poured concrete?) pavers do it for me.

[timbad]

sidewalk access has been restored on the east side of Fourth in front of blocks 2 and 3, so we have a better sense of what it will be like to walk along the street there (through the long shadows of the shortest day of the year).

looking north toward the corner of Fourth and Channel:



looking south, in front of block 3 ('Venue'):



looking north, in front of block 3:



again north at block 3, where you can see better that the facade zigs a bit where it meets a stretch of the sidewalk:



further back towards the corner with Mission Rock it steps back a bit (on the right in the pic); not sure what will go there. on the left is where they will need to put back one of the benches they removed during construction.



this is looking west walking up Mission Rock toward Fourth:



this is looking east into the alleyway between blocks 2 and 3: