The newly completed office tower rises above a significantly transformed downtown from two years ago when project construction began.  All around, the city's downtown core has undergone a remarkable amount of redevelopment and change, including a new ballpark and dozens of new residential projects.

A symbol of revitilization

The architect for the office tower believes that the new office tower is a physical and visual connector between the existing and emerging urban elements and is symbolic of the city’s amazing renewal and revitalization.

“As the first Class-A office tower in a decade, the office tower is an icon for the reinvestment in the city, with residents and businesses embracing the urban experience,” explains the design principal.  “The project adds a new dimension to the current residential-driven development by becoming the first new office tower in a decade and moves the city closer to the goal of becoming a 24-hour city.” 

This office and retail project marks the gateway to the central business district from the bay and brings together the diverse character of surrounding city districts. The retail and office components front the city’s main east/west commercial corridor, and create iconic imagery at the intersection of the city’s main streets. At this intersection, the city’s mass transit hubs for trains, light rail trolleys and busses meet the downtown core.  The tower component reaches upward from its rich ‘jewel box’ base, culminating with a sky lantern that marks the importance of this hub within the city fabric, and offers users dynamic panoramic views of the bay, the ocean and the city center.

Location. Location. Location.

The tower’s location plays a significant role in its contribution to the evolving cityscape as development moves closer to the waterfront.  The office tower is located among a number of historically significant buildings, notably the Santa Fe Depot, the old YMCA, and the historic Station B Utility Building – and will soon be joined by more new growth on the planned redevelopment sites of the Field and the Navy Complex. The design of the tower is reflective of this connection between old and new.

“The building design complements the city’s existing urban fabric while embracing its future potential,” explained the project designer. “We sought to pay homage to the rich architectural heritage of the city while, at the same time, engaging a dynamic element that celebrates the city’s contemporary direction and vision.”

According to the project designer, the design solution for the office building was to unite a rectilinear street wall and tower element —respectful of the surrounding architectural massing and suggestive of permanence and stability — with a crystalline glass form that emerges from a precast concrete solid base, to evoke a sense of lightness and movement.

Using precast to blend traditional with contemporary design

The tower, a combination of natural stone, pre-cast concrete panels and glass curtain wall integrates traditional and contemporary materials and is choreographed to capitalize on views both to and from the building.  Viewed from the city core, the precast base presents a warm, rusticated edifice, blending with existing buildings.

The tower’s five-story ‘jewel box’ precast concrete base fronts the main thoroughfare with a composition of simple solid forms that reflect the neighborhood’s traditional street façade patterns.  A composition of back-lit colored art glass panels inserted into the solid base brings artistic whimsy to the street wall and leads the eye into the lobby where one is visually engaged by a dramatic wall collage composed by a local artist.

Seen from the waterfront and across the bay, the tower expresses a much more translucent, glass form, emphasized by a glowing ‘sky lantern’, topped by an 18-story cantilevered vertical ‘prow’ as the most prominent feature.  The tower’s faceted form evokes a sense of futuristic verticality and dramatizes the expression of lightness and movement.

The $140 million office tower totals 410,000 square feet, 356,000 square feet of which is designated office space and 16,677 square feet of which is restaurant and retail space. It also includes parking for 765 cars.