First and Mission
Defining the Highest Potential
Our founder helped embed world-class architecture within San Francisco’s urban identity.
San Francisco, California
TMG Partners
2,200,000 sq. ft.
Mixed use, high rise
Partner with Foster + Partners
Challenge
The transformation of San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal into a multimodal transport hub, and the city’s adoption of the related Transit Center District Plan, created exceptional development opportunities. TMG Partners and Northwood Investors acquired the last one-and-a-half-acre site in the development zone, where relaxed height restrictions encouraged density and a walkable urban environment. The city’s strong civic identity and hands-on approach to planning pioneer the promotion of public health, environmental integrity, and social equity through urban design. Central to this leadership is an inclusive approach to consultation that requires developers to show how their proposals serve the public interest. With Wolfgang Wagener as architect in responsible control, Foster + Partners designed a vertical city quarter that nurtures and supports the needs of city residents and the dynamic companies whose workplaces are increasingly concentrated in the South of Market district in San Francisco.
Solution
With colleagues from Foster + Partners, Wolfgang participated in an extended interview process that generated possibilities for the First and Mission site, culminating in the firm’s selection to plan and design a skyscraper complex in collaboration with Heller Manus Architects. Two state-of-the-art towers will contain 1.35 million square feet of office space for leading Silicon Valley companies and 650,000 square feet of residential units, as well as a world-class hotel and other amenities. The buildings meet the street in an innovative “urban room,” an open and accessible ground floor whose design follows existing desire lines to shape and interact with the everyday life of this bustling downtown district. Working closely with planning officials and other civic leaders, Wolfgang facilitated design collaboration, engaged in public dialogue, and shepherded this complex development through the ideation, strategy, and entitlements processes.
Impact
With coordination by Wolfgang and others at Foster + Partners, the London-based firm created a new landmark for San Francisco. The high-performance towers integrate green technologies with systems that promote the well-being of residents, office tenants, and visitors alike. They create square footage for mixed uses that will contribute to a thriving, connected neighborhood while ensuring profitability for the developer and investor. The urban room at their base is an inviting public space attuned to the flow of life around the city. Foster + Partners’ designs met with an enthusiastic response from the local press, community, and planning commission. By engaging civic leaders and other stakeholders in genuine dialogue, listening and addressing their concerns throughout, Wolfgang and his colleagues smoothed the path for the developer and advanced a new health-centered district serving some of the world’s most innovative and influential companies.
