101 California Roof Terrace

With the shadow of Phillip Johnson’s tower looming literally above the roof of the seven-story bustle at its base, the rooftop terrace at 101 California was developed in conversation with its architectural context. The adaptive reuse of this roof inserts spaces for people to gather at the delightful mezzanine level of the city. The design creates open space in three dimensions with a spare and strategic use of lines that connect, frame, and edge views and deftly define human scaled spaces within the grandeur of the cityscape. A restrained palette is amplified by a strict order inspired by both the lines of the tower façade and the ledger sheets of the financial institution client. A 24-inch topographic shift allows long views over the parapet guardrail resulting in a voluminous outdoor room created by the surrounding building facades. This project is award worthy because the spare design creates a powerful downtown spatial experience and welcomes people into this previously anti-social modern building.

Location: San Francisco, CA
Client: Hines/Chime
Project Size: .25 acres
Status: May 2021-April 2023
Role: Landscape Architect
Collaboration: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Turner Construction, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Associated Lighting Representatives Inc.