Green Development in San Francisco

John King, A Beautiful Green Building for Embarcadero, San Francisco Chronicle February 4, 2008 (available at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/04/BA57UPQVF.DTL).

Turner Construction Company, Turner Construction Company Nears Topping Out on 555 Mission Street Project, Reuters, December 4, 2007
(available at http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS196681+04-Dec-2007+PRN20071204).


These articles highlight two planned developments in downtown San Francisco, the first on the Embarcadero and the second on Mission in the middle of the Financial District; both are “green” developments.

The first article describes an exciting new structure being built on the Embarcadero, adjacent to the historic structure housing high-end restaurant Boulevard. The most notable feature of the planned structure is the mix of vines which will climb the surface of the building. The vines serve the dual purpose of symbolizing environmental consciousness and stability, as well as helping to cool the exterior of the building and reduce energy usage.

Most interestingly, the article’s author has a somewhat varied opinion of the development overall. Although optimistic, he concludes his piece with a criticism of the developer’s decision to build an apparently whopping ten stories when the majority of the surrounding buildings are shorter. This perspective struck me as somewhat out of context with the rest of the piece.

The second article, actually a publication of a press release of the project’s construction company, is also optimistic (probably due to its source). It describes another structure being developed in San Francisco’s downtown. According to the press release, the building’s claim to green fame is based on a recycled water distribution system; a reflective roof; a 20% goal of recycled content in products used in construction; water efficient landscaping; and low-flow toilet fixtures and fittings. Notably, the developers did not actually seek or plan to seek LEED certification before getting approval for the development and beginning construction, but instead decided on the eco-friendly features after breaking ground. I find this order of events interesting as presumably they could have used the certification to more easily convince the City to approve the project.