2022 AIA CA DESIGN AWARDS
Honor award
Sister Lillian Murphy Community
Architect: Paulett Taggart Architects with Associate Architect StudioVARA
Project Location: San Francisco, California
Photographer: Bruce Damonte
This new affordable housing development breaks open perimeter block typology into four articulated masses connected by open-air circulation and multilevel landscapes. This strategy integrates and visually connects the residents to the surrounding neighborhood and creates micro-communities within the building and block. Integrated design and supportive programming create a healthy, dynamic and supportive environment that helps build community.
“This multifamily project is handsome, variegated, and possesses a good urban presence. It addresses the needs of families living and working in the urban environment; extending the range of its impact by providing services to the broader neighborhood. Commendable performance criteria include:
- Exceeded the 2016 Title 24 code
- Achieved a 38% reduction from the benchmark EUI which is laudable for an affordable project”
– 2022 Design Awards Jury
Design for Integration
Breaks in building massing create small, distinguishable communities within the building and block, provide visual connection, and maximize sun exposure. This strategy provides ample fresh air, sunlight and greenery for the entire building. The corner stair tower acts as a beacon at the terminus of an urban view corridor. Its dynamic, airy interior and stunning views welcome residents to use the stairs, encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle. Sustainable strategies balance health, wellness and economy.
Design for Equitable Communities
The building is designed for its urban setting, woven into a lively, walkable, neighborhood. Such amenities as the bicycle pavilion and stroller parking support a car-free lifestyle and design elements such as the airy stair tower encourage healthy habits.
Open air circulation and common amenities strategically located adjacent to landscaped courtyards offer health benefits and opportunities to encounter neighbors.
The ground floor child development center serves families in the community, with free services to eligible local households. The community room on ground floor is strategically located to allow for public access. All common outdoor spaces are fully accessible.
Design for Ecosystems
The design of open spaces and their interface with the public right of way and pedestrian mews use native, adapted Mediterranean, and very drought tolerant species with tremendous variety of size, form, color and texture. Taller vertical plantings create smaller intimate spaces that feel protected from overhead views and will grow to provide greenery outside upper level windows, framing views to the neighborhood beyond. Native grassy species used in the existing adjacent pedestrian mews were repeated along that frontage. These species are appropriate for the stormwater planters and reinforce a bayside character that existed here before any development.
Design for Water
Stormwater that falls within project boundary is collected and directed to stormwater planters that slow and clean water before releasing to the City system. Stormwater planters are scattered across the project in main courtyard, upper podium spaces, along perimeter of building, and along the adjacent pedestrian mews. Low-flow water fixtures are used throughout. The project is fully set up to utilize a separated reclaimed water system for all toilets in the building, once the City of San Francisco implements the reclaimed water supply in the neighborhood.
Design for Economy
A variety of residential unit sizes are designed with great efficiency, allowing minimized square footage yet extremely livable units. Breaking the building into wings lent itself to grouping and stacking of repetitive unit types for construction efficiency, and prefabricated wood framing reduces cost and waste. Exterior circulation reduces reliance on mechanical systems and provides a healthier environment; generous windows provide ample daylight. Exposed concrete structure and exterior and interior finishes were chosen for economy and durability. Efficiencies such as centralized open space in lieu of private balconies and shared laundry have the added benefit of promoting social interaction.
Design for Energy
The project exceeds California’s stringent energy standards. Photovoltaics generate solar thermal hot water, offsetting energy usage. Strategies to reduce energy consumption include electric heat and stoves, LED lighting, Energy Star rated appliances, generously sized windows for ample daylighting, and outdoor circulation with photocell lighting controls. Exposed concrete walls on south side provide passive thermal cooling and heating benefits, and sunshade formats respond to solar orientation. A fast EV Charger provided in the garage (all on-site parking spaces are EV capable/EV ready) promote the use of electric vehicles and designated car-share vehicle parking space encourages car sharing.
Design for Well-being
The project enhances residents’ quality of life and promotes healthy living. The light and airy main stair tower, designed in reference to Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, encourages fitness by inviting residents to take the stairs. The building’s massing strategy sites the tallest to the north, maximizing sunlight into courtyards. Outdoor spaces provide ample biophilic connection and a variety of structures, rather than age-restrictive equipment, to encourage creative play. Exterior circulation provides safe, fresh-air passage and ample windows provide abundant daylight. Quality indoor air is enhanced through low-VOC paints and finishes, operable windows, and filtered mechanical ventilation.
Design for Resources
Anticipating a 50-year building life and striving to be good stewards of both the environment and the non-profit client’s funding, the design team applied solutions that balanced affordability with longevity. For instance, fly-ash concrete structure and finishes were used throughout for economy and durability, providing passive thermal and environmental benefitss. FSC certified wood was applied where able for such items as apartment doors. Low/No-VOC interior products and finishes contribute to healthy indoor air quality, and approximately 65% of site construction waste was diverted from landfill.
Design for Change
An affordable housing development, the building is not intended to change use but was designed with some flexibility. All units are adaptable to accommodate residents with disabilities. All of the on-site parking is EV capable/EV ready to allow for installation of EV chargers in the future. Most spaces within units and common areas have passive systems available, including generous glazing for daylight and operable windows for passive ventilation, which allows for adaptability to outside conditions. For instance, in adverse outside air conditions, such as pollution or wildfire smoke, residents can close operable windows and the mechanically-ventilated air to their homes is well-filtered. Likewise, as has been revealed in the COVID pandemic, the health benefits of natural ventilation are significant, and when outside conditions are optimal, the exterior circulation design reduces reliance on mechanical systems, while providing a healthy alternative via natural ventilation. In addition, the project is fully set up to utilize a separated reclaimed water system for all toilets in the building, once the City of San Francisco implements the reclaimed water supply in the neighborhood.
Arguably the biggest change facing 691 China Basin is its location. The Mission Bay neighborhood is built on landfill and actively sinking. As a result, the building was built on steel piles and a spider web of grade beams support the building and central courtyard structural slab on grade. Flow-through planters in the courtyard had to be placed between the grade beams, requiring tight coordination with the landscape architect.
However, the streets and sidewalks in Mission Bay are not as stable and are actively sinking. Working in collaboration with the developer, contractor, and other stakeholders, who all brought previous experience and lessons learned from earlier development in the neighborhood, the design team incorporated design strategies to maintain accessibility as the neighborhood infrastructure declines. For instance, buried steps will reveal themselves as the sidewalks sink, and hinge slabs on exterior access points respond to the movement of street and sidewalks around the perimeter of the site.
Design for Discovery
Anticipating a 50-year building life and striving to be good stewards of both the environment and the non-profit client’s funding, the design team applied solutions that balanced affordability with longevity. For instance, fly-ash concrete structure and finishes were used throughout for economy and durability, providing passive thermal and environmental benefitss. FSC certified wood was applied where able for such items as apartment doors. Low/No-VOC interior products and finishes contribute to healthy indoor air quality, and approximately 65% of site construction waste was diverted from landfill.