Trinity Place
Arquitectonica

Photo courtesy Arquitectonica

The new 1,900-unit residential Trinity Place represents one of the largest and most audacious new visions for San Francisco. The architectural concept translates the essence of city living into a powerful new image.

The new development at 1177 Market Street is a precedent-setting concept in six buildings. The first phase, at 1188 Mission Street, includes about 440 units on the Mission Street side of the property, with 360 studios replacing existing rent-controlled units and 12 new below-market-rate units. A linear mixed-use building along Market Street contains shops and restaurants.


Photo courtesy Arquitectonica

The buildings are conceived as a series of rectangular prisms that rest on each other.  Each building has a different volumetric composition that results in an individual expression within the common vocabulary of the block. The arrangement of volumes is intended to form a multidimensional neighborhood of buildings, with some structures expectedly anchored firmly on the ground, some less expectedly suspended above other volumes, some informally overlapping. A large vertical "gateway," with a grand staircase, leads up to the interior park-like courtyard.


Photo courtesy Arquitectonica

Photo courtesy Arquitectonica

Between the buildings the ample courtyard becomes the center of social interaction, the source of light and air for internally oriented units, the green lung, provider of a natural environment among man made structures, a quiet place away from the streets. Individual building lobbies open to the park, making them directly accessible from the residential areas.

Photo courtesy Arquitectonica

The square window module is coordinated with the structural and functional bay size to create an orderly grid.  Each window is subdivided into four panes.  The upper panels are equally divided into two operable panels that allow for self-cleaning of the unit by the tenant.  The lower panes are fixed and divided asymmetrically to create a square and a horizontal panel.  The square panel is in frosted glass, creating a multitude of white highlights at daytime, glowing reflectors at night.

Photo courtesy Arquitectonica

The geometry of the precast panel scoring relates to the window design, relating to the combined symmetry and asymmetry of the window design while concealing the rigidity of the precast components.  The scoring and panelization of the precast components of the end walls emphasizes the split of the volumes by contrasting vertical and horizontal patterns while incorporating the vertical windows of the secondary bedrooms and the horizontal windows of the bathrooms.

Several more phases of work are planned after the completion of 1188 Mission Street.

The next building is currently planned for 545-unit project on Market Street with 21,000 square feet of retail space. At the same time, the developers will open a large public plaza and pedestrian pass-through linking Mission Street and Market Street.

Then, to complete the project, 915 new residences will be added in buildings along Eighth Street and Mission Street.

The dual nature of the development, privacy and community within, excitement and commerce on its public face, has contributed to the plan's success.

This is a remarkable moment in the history of San Francisco housing, we are creating a new image and new rental housing to inject vitality into a promising edge of downtown./Angelo Sangiacomo, Trinity Properties

Drawing courtesy Arquitectonica