San Francisco Federal Building

San Francisco Federal Building
Main structure of the federal building, with plaza in the foreground
San Francisco Federal Building is located in San Francisco
San Francisco Federal Building
Location within San Francisco
San Francisco Federal Building is located in California
San Francisco Federal Building
San Francisco Federal Building (California)
San Francisco Federal Building is located in the United States
San Francisco Federal Building
San Francisco Federal Building (the United States)
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeGovernment offices
Architectural styleDeconstructivism
Location90 Seventh Street
San Francisco, California
Coordinates37°46′45″N 122°24′43″W / 37.77917°N 122.41194°W / 37.77917; -122.41194
Construction started2003
Opening2007
CostUS$144 million
Height
Roof234 ft (71.3 m)
Technical details
Floor count18
Floor area605,000 sq ft (56,206 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Thom Mayne of Morphosis
SmithGroup
DeveloperU.S. General Services Administration
EngineerArup
Main contractorHunt Construction Group
Webcor Builders
References
[1][2][3][4]

The San Francisco Federal Building, formally the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, is an 18-story, 234 ft-tall (71.3 m) building at 90 7th Street on the corner of Mission and 7th streets in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The federal building was designed by the Morphosis architectural firm, as a supplement to the Phillip Burton Federal Building several blocks away. Thom Mayne of Morphosis designed the building using a juxtaposition of gray concrete walls, perforated metal panels, and custom, faceted wood ceilings.[5] The building was expected to be completed in 2005, but construction issues and delays pushed the project completion to 2007.

The building was designed to be a 'green' building consuming less than half the power of a standard office tower. Utilizing natural light to illuminate 80 percent of the building helped it achieve worldwide recognition as the first Federal Building to be certified under the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria.[6] Its southern wall is draped with translucent panels of perforated stainless steel (3 by 8 feet in size), intended to accumulate solar heat and thereby create an upward air flow, which in turn causes cooler air to enter the building through sensor-controlled windows, achieving an air conditioning effect.[7][8] The result has been criticized as unsatisfactory by employees working in the building, which has received low workplace satisfaction ratings. [citation needed]

The building features some elevators which stop on every third floor to promote employee interaction and health. Users of the building exit the elevators and walk either up or down one floor via stairs. There are, however, also elevators which stop on every floor for users unable or unwilling to negotiate stairs. As of 2019, there were concerns that the courtyard had become a large marketplace for illegal drugs at nighttime.[9] In 2023 workers were told to stay home due to rampant illicit activity in the vicinity of the building. [citation needed]

  1. ^ "San Francisco Federal Building". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
  2. ^ "Emporis building ID 157124". Emporis. Archived from the original on June 22, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "San Francisco Federal Building". SkyscraperPage.
  4. ^ San Francisco Federal Building at Structurae
  5. ^ "2006 Construction Excellence Awards". Interior Construction. March–April 2007. p. 9.
  6. ^ Leetzow, Larry. "A Model of Excellence: San Francisco's LEED-Certified Federal Building". Magnaray International.
  7. ^ Lloyd Alter (9 March 2007). "San Francisco Federal Building". TreeHugger. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  8. ^ King, John (2007-02-25). "TOWERING EXPECTATIONS / S.F.'s new federal building challenges ideas of what a government high-rise should look like -- its humane design is green, dazzling". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  9. ^ Vacar, Tom (2019-11-08). "Popular hangout spot at San Francisco's Federal Building angering residents". KTVU. Retrieved 8 April 2020.