In 2017, Foster + Partners established its West Coast studio in San Francisco, creating a permanent home for the team in California.
35 employees – both local and international – now work in the San Francisco studio, which includes a model shop, meeting rooms and a variety of flexible collaboration spaces. Situated at the intersection of Chinatown, North Beach and the Embarcadero, the studio is surrounded by a diversity of cultures and industries. The building is a converted warehouse – with exposed original timber beams and loadbearing brick walls – in Jackson Square, at the heart of the historic waterfront district.
Ben Dobbin, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners, said: “It is an extremely exciting moment for our office in San Francisco. We are currently working on a diverse range of projects across the state, from the iconic Transamerica Pyramid Center to multiple stations for the California High-Speed Rail network.”
Peter Sokoloff, Partner, Foster + Partners, added: ‘We work closely with the teams in London, New York and Los Angeles - and have direct relationships with the clients, consultants and construction teams of the practice’s California-based projects.”
In 2020, Foster + Partners began working on the redevelopment of the Transamerica Pyramid – a celebrated city landmark that can be seen from the studio. The project gives a new lease of life to the second tallest building in San Francisco. It also expands and upgrades the adjacent Three Transamerica (545 Sansome) to a contemporary high-design office building. Alongside this historic building, the practice has also been working on a number of confidential tech-related design projects in the Bay Area. Much like the city of San Francisco, the practice designs with both heritage and innovation in mind.
California High-Speed Rail (CA HSR) recently selected the joint venture of Foster + Partners and Arup to design the Merced, Fresno, Kings/Tulare, and Bakersfield stations that will serve high-speed rail passengers on the initial 171-mile segment. The rail network is a major milestone for sustainable, decarbonised transportation in California. The practice is also working on the design of four new Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations that extend the system to Downtown San Jose and Santa Clara.
In 2018, Foster + partners completed Apple Park in Cupertino, a 12,000 capacity global headquarters that is powered by 100 percent renewable energy. Its landscape and buildings form a seamless whole: the Ring Building, Steve Jobs Theater, Fitness & Wellness Center, Visitors’ Center and South Parking are all encompassed by flowing parkland that enhances the buildings as places to socialise, exercise and work.
In June, the American Institute of Architects is holding its national conference in San Francisco. The studio will be opening its doors to the public for an evening event and lecture.
