One Rincon Hill

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 37°47′09″N 122°23′32″W / 37.78583, -122.39222

 This article or section contains information about expected future buildings or structures.
Some or all of this information may be speculative, and the content may change as building construction begins.
One Rincon Hill South Tower

One Rincon Hill South Tower during sunset.
Information
Location 425 First Street
San Francisco
Status Under construction (Topped Out)[1]
Groundbreaking 2005-11-10 (Ceremonial groundbreaking)[2][3]
2006-01 (Construction permit issued)[3]
Estimated completion 2008[1]
Opening Early 2008 (est.)
Roof 641 ft (195 m)[A][B]
Technical details
Floor count 60[A][B]
Elevator count 4[4]
Cost USD $300 million[5]
Companies
Architect Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Contractor Bovis Lend Lease
Developer Urban West Associates
One Rincon Hill North Tower
Information
Location 425 First Street
San Francisco
Status Approved
Groundbreaking 2008[6][7]
Estimated completion 2009[8]
Roof 495 ft (151 m)[A][9]
Floor count 45[A][9]
Companies
Architect Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Contractor Bovis Lend Lease
Developer Urban West Associates

One Rincon Hill is a residential complex that is currently under construction on the apex of Rincon Hill in San Francisco. The complex, designed by the Chicago architectural firm Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz and Associates, will include 14 townhouses and 695 condominiums located in two structurally-unique highrise condo towers.[1] One tower, One Rincon Hill North Tower is planned to reach a height 495 feet (151 m) with 45 stories.[A][9] The other tower, One Rincon Hill South Tower, is planned to have 60 stories and stand 641 feet (195 m) tall.[A][B] However, because of the sloped nature of the Rincon Hill site, the South Tower's lobby floor or the First Street entrance will be located on the sixth floor, and the first floor will be five levels underground from the First Street entrance.[10]

Because of their height, both towers will offer spectacular vistas of the surrounding landscapes.[11] Upon completion and due to its height, this will be the most significant addition to the San Francisco skyline in over 30 years and be one of the tallest all-residential towers west of the Mississippi River, towering 697 feet (212 m) above San Francisco Bay.[1][11][12][13][14] This height has also generated some controversy about the building.[15]

Contents

[edit] Location and history

The 1.3 acre (0.5 ha)[13] site that the complex is located on is bounded by Harrison Street to the west, the Fremont Street off ramp to the north, the western approach to the Bay Bridge (Interstate 80) on the east, and the First Street on ramp to the south.[16][17] A 183 feet (56 m) tall clock tower, owned by UNION 76 and then Bank of America was originally on the site.[17] However, this was deemed an ineffective use of the land, and so in 2003 Urban West Associates bought the land and later proposed the first version of the complex on the same site.[18] The original version of the complex was a 28 story and a 33 story tower named 475 First and had only 506 residential units.[18] The city, after the initial proposal, changed the zoning in Rincon Hill neighborhood and raised height limits.[19] Later, a second version of One Rincon Hill was proposed.[20] When the second and final version project was approved by the city on August 4, 2005, the fate of the Clock Tower was sealed.[3] Before construction of One Rincon Hill, the clock tower was razed to make way for the construction of the towers.[3][21]

[edit] Description

Architecture

Both the north tower and the south tower of the Rincon Hill complex bear a resemblance to The Heritage at Millennium Park in Chicago, a building of a similar height to the south tower designed also by Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz and Associates.[22] The architectural style for both buildings of the Rincon Hill complex are late-modernist.[1][9] As for South Tower, the three sides of the building facing southeast, northeast, and northwest consists of a linear glass curtainwall.[1][11] The side that faces southwest is curved and cladd in white aluminum panels and glass in a pattern resembling Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze.[23] The North Tower has a similar design, except it is shorter and the curved aluminum and glass side faces northeast.[9][11] Both skyscrapers of the Rincon Hill project contain an oval-shaped crown housing mechanical equipment.[8][11][24]

Developer

The developer of this complex is Urban West Associates, headed by Mike Kriozere.[5] The developer's headquarters are located in San Diego, although all its highrise projects over 14 stories are located in the San Francisco Bay Area.[25] The Rincon Hill complex is the developer's second project in San Francisco, with the first being ONE Embarcadero South, a residential complex located near One Rincon Hill and across from AT&T Park.[26] According to the developer, the total cost of the Rincon Hill project was USD $290 million[27], rising to USD $300 million in 2008.[5]

Earthquake engineering

In order to support the 60 story condo tower, One Rincon Hill South Tower will have a 12 foot (4 m) thick massive foundation embedded deep into serpentine rock. Although some engineers view serpentine rock with suspicion, there are massive structures, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, that have foundations on rock that is largely serpentine.[28] Rising out of the foundation are the concrete core and large, tall columns of steel-reinforced concrete called outriggers. The core is attached to large outrigger columns by steel-buckling restrained braces that are designed to transfer building loads in an earthquake. These V-shaped restraining braces are said to act like a shock-absorber during earthquakes. The braces are also encased in a concrete and steel casing in order to prevent the braces from buckling and losing their strength. Many of these engineering technologies used in One Rincon Hill South Tower are new to the United States.[28][29]

Water tanks

At the top of the building is a large tank, capable of holding up to 50,000 gallons (189,250 litres) of water, which will weigh 416,500 pounds (185,440 kg).[14][29] A similar 50,000 gallon (189,250 liter) tank is located in the basement for firefighting purposes.[14] There are two liquid damper screens in each tank to control the flow of the water in order to counter the sway from the powerful Pacific winds, which can sometimes reach hurricane-force.[28]

Elevators

The South Tower contains one freight elevator and three for residents to use. The elevators are the second fastest in the city of San Francisco, second only to those in 555 California Street and tied with those in 555 Mission Street.[30] Nevertheless, the elevators of the South Tower can travel from the first floor to level 61 (the mechanical level) in only 26 seconds to speed passenger traffic flow. This means the elevators can travel about 1,200 vertical feet (366 m) in a minute. In addition to the high speed, the elevators come equipped with artificial intelligence control systems. These systems figure out passenger traffic patterns and dispatch the three elevators to handle passenger needs accordingly. For safety purposes, the bottom of each elevator shaft has a cylinder filled with hydraulic oil to stop a falling elevator without injuring the passengers inside.[4]

Residences

The entire project will provide 695 condos located in the highrises and 14 townhomes located at the foot of the towers for a total of 709 units.[31] 376 of those condo units are located in the South Tower and the North Tower contains the other 319 units.[5][32] are There are 26 different floor plans for the 695 condos which are financially beyond the reach of many citizens residing in San Francisco.[31] The units vary greatly in price from USD $500,000[13] to USD $2,500,000,[33] depending on view and the size of the unit (600 to 2,000 ft² or 56 to 186 m²).[13] The project opened up a sales office on June 16, 2006 and even before the opening, 130 condo units located in the South Tower were already spoken for in a selling frenzy.[34] The Sales Center is rumored to have cost USD $2,000,000 to build.[13] The condo units in One Rincon Hill South Tower are selling well for a building that has not been completed yet.[33] The first residents began moving into the South Tower in February 2008.[32][35] Sales for the North tower are set to begin in early-2009.[5]

[edit] Construction

[edit] South Tower

This is the second-tallest tower currently under construction in San Francisco.

2005-2006 construction stoppage

About a month after the ceremonial groundbreaking in November 2005, the project was put on hold by San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection and Construction.[3][36] In addition, about a week after the ceremonial groundbreaking, department Chief Engineer Hanson Tom ordered that construction permits cannot be issued without his authorization.[36] This construction hold came about because staff members of the Department of Building Inspection wanted further assurances about the seismic integrity of One Rincon Hill. Their concerns focused on the core-outrigger structural system of One Rincon Hill, which was new to the city of San Francisco.[3] After additional review, San Francisco's city officials agreed with the structural engineers and construction permits were issued in January 2006, although the San Francisco Chronicle reported this over a month later.[3][37][38]

July 2006 construction accident

On July 21, 2006, a metal construction deck collapsed sometime around 10:45 in the morning. Two carpenters and two ironworkers were injured when they fell approximately 20 feet (6 m) along with the deck, sending all four men to the hospital. Three of the men were released that afternoon, but however one of the ironworkers was kept at the hospital with his leg broken in two places, a broken ankle, and a broken shoulder.[39]

Current Progress

The building is currently "topped out" (has reached its planned height) and is partially open, with residents living in the lower levels and construction on the upper floors.[32]. The unfinished floors will open gradually over the summer, five stories at a time.[32] Curtainwall glass completely covers floors 6 to 60 of the building.[1] The tower crane has been removed and work is progressing on the main lobby entrance of the South Tower. Both red lifts on the north side of the South Tower have been removed. The facade and the interiors for the townhouses is under construction.[40] The building is expected to be complete by September 2008, with all residential floors ready for residents by then.[41]

[edit] North Tower

The remaining north tower will start construction after summer 2008 and be completed in 2009.[41] Originally, construction was supposed to commence in January of 2008.[6][7][8] Later, the developer mentioned construction was going start in March, but the construction firm wasn't selected at that time. After March, the developer said construction was going to start in May 2008. Currently, the developer has secured two construction loans for the project and is in the process of selecting the contractor to build the second tower. The three companies bidding for the project are Bovis, the one that built the first tower, Webcor, and Swinterton Builders.[5]

[edit] Criticism

With condo prices set at USD $5-600,000 to USD $2,000,000, many critics have noted that the One Rincon Hill complex is too expensive for most San Franciscans.[13][31] (As stated above, the total development cost was $290 million, so the average development cost per unit with 709 units total is approximately $409,000.)

In addition, few construction workers currently building the south tower can afford to purchase a unit in the tower.[42] However, the developer Urban West Associates has contributed a total of USD $38.5 million to funds like the South of Market Community Stabilization Fund in order to address this concern.[31]

The height and placement of the South Tower is also a concern to residents living east to northeast of Twin Peaks, since development South of Market blocks their views of the Bay Bridge.[43] The first One Rincon Hill tower to be completed has obstructed the view of the bridge from Dolores Park and the hillside neighborhoods to its immediate south-southwest. Moreover, the completed structure blocks views of the City's hills once afforded to incoming travelers on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge itself.[44]

The building's architectural design generated a wide range of opinions. While some residents of San Francisco say that the tower is beautiful, others have belittled the design. This has led to the opinion that One Rincon Hill may be one of the most controversial landmarks since the Transamerica Pyramid.[15] The design has been compared to San-Francisco-based Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze air purifier, leading to the nickname "Ionic Breeze Tower". Plus, the building is right next to the main freeway to the Bay Bridge where traffic gets backed up on a daily basis.[23]

[edit] Gallery

For a detailed gallery of the construction, see SF Construction Photos

Construction site and tower crane as of July 16, 2006.

Night view on October 14.

One Rincon Hill in mid-February.

South Tower and skyline as of May 5, 2007.

View of the building from the Bay Bridge on July 13, 2007.

A shot of the tower in mid-July.

San Francisco Skyline, including Bay Bridge and One Rincon Hill.

The north face of the South Tower in October.

[edit] Notes

A. a b c d e f This article measures the building height and floor count of both towers from the corner of Fremont and Harrision Streets.
B. a b c Building height and number of floors varies depending on the measuring location and whether the five underground levels, the lobby and the topmost two mechanical levels are included in the measurement. Sources like the corresponding SkyscraperPage thread list the tower at 641 feet (195 m) tall with 60 floors, leaving out the topmost two levels. Source. However, the San Francisco project rundown thread on the same site lists the tower at 641 feet (195 m) with only 55 floors, omitting the five underground and topmost two non-residential levels. Source. Emporis lists the building at 605 feet (184 m) and omits the lobby level in addition to the seven nonresidential levels from the floor count, leading to a count of 54 floors. Source. Another site gives no height figure but mentions the tower has 62 levels. Source. At least one San Francisco Chronicle article states the building is 641 feet (195 m) tall with 62 levels, which includes the seven nonresidential levels. Source. However, another Chronicle article uses a different measuring location, stating that the south tower has 605 feet (184 m) and 60 floors. Source.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g One Rincon Hill South Tower. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  2. ^ Officials break ground for new condo towers at foot of Bay Bridge. San Francisco Chronicle (2005-11-10). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g One Rincon Hill complex. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  4. ^ a b Nolte, Carl (2007-12-09). Elevators with brains. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Dineen, J.K. (2008-04-11). Developer Kriozere scores loan for second tower of One Rincon Hill. San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  6. ^ a b Work to start on second Rincon tower this year. San Francisco Business Times (2007-07-02). Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
  7. ^ a b One Rincon Hill: An Official Update And A Few Confirmed Facts. Socketsite.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
  8. ^ a b c One Rincon Hill - North Tower. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  9. ^ a b c d e One Rincon Hill North Tower. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
  10. ^ Picture of One Rincon Hill South Tower floors - One Rincon Hill South Tower thread - Post 327. Socketsite.com and SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  11. ^ a b c d e One Rincon Hill Aerial Tour, found on One Rincon Hill's website
  12. ^ San Francisco One Rincon Hill Tallest Residential Tower. KRON 4 and YouTube. Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
  13. ^ a b c d e f ONE RINCON: Building a High-Rise CITY'S SKYLINE MOVING UPSCALE Condos in the high-rise towers will start at $500,000 -- it's pricey, but there is a killer view from the top. San Francisco Chronicle (2006-06-14). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  14. ^ a b c Nolte, Carl (2007-12-29). One Rincon tower features water tank on top to counteract wind. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  15. ^ a b Carl Nolte (2007-08-13). Towering opinions on Rincon high-rise, from 'elegant' to 'atrocity'. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  16. ^ Site description is based on Google Earth images.
  17. ^ a b Clock Tower Building. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  18. ^ a b A NEW SKYLINE RINCON HILL. San Francisco Chronicle (2003-06-15). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  19. ^ SAN FRANCISCO. San Francisco Chronicle (2004-02-04). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  20. ^ Rincon Hill on the rise. San Francisco Chronicle (2005-04-18). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  21. ^ John King (2005-09-29). The city has a chance to create a great neighborhood on Rincon Hill. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  22. ^ The Heritage at Millennium Park. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  23. ^ a b Telstar Logistics (apparently Todd Lappin) (2007-07-23). Separated at Birth? One Rincon Hill and the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze GP. Telstar Logistics. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
  24. ^ One Rincon Hill - South Tower. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  25. ^ Urban West Associates. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  26. ^ ONE Embarcadero South. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  27. ^ ONE RINCON: Building a High-Rise CITY'S SKYLINE MOVING UPSCALE Condos in the high-rise towers will start at $500,000 -- it's pricey, but there is a killer view from the top. San Francisco Chronicle (2006-06-14). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  28. ^ a b c Tall, skinny ... stable. San Francisco Chronicle (2006-07-02). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  29. ^ a b San Francisco One Rincon Hill Earthquake Proof. KRON4 and YouTube. Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
  30. ^ 555 Mission Street Specifications. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  31. ^ a b c d One Rincon Hill brings new grace to Bay area. Newcity Skyline (2007-02-02). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  32. ^ a b c d Nolte, Carl (2008-03-07). One Rincon residents are moving in. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  33. ^ a b Dance of the concrete SAN FRANCISCO: Pouring the floors for the 600-foot One Rincon Hill tower involves a blend of high technology and old-fashioned muscle -- it is also a race against the clock. San Francisco Chronicle (2007-04-17). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  34. ^ Condo units fly out door, before doors even open. San Francisco Business Times (2006-06-16). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  35. ^ Dineen, J.K. (2008-02-29). New residents unpack at S.F. condo towers: It can be lonely at the top. San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
  36. ^ a b Rincon Hill's huge towers put on hold. San Francisco Chronicle (2005-12-08). Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
  37. ^ SAN FRANCISCO High-rises pass city's seismic muster. San Francisco Chronicle (2006-01-09). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  38. ^ SAN FRANCISCO Rincon Hill towers get permits after OK for seismic safety. San Francisco Chronicle (2006-03-01). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  39. ^ 4 construction workers injured in deck collapse. San Francisco Chronicle (2006-07-21). Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
  40. ^ SAN FRANCISCO: One Rincon, Tower One - 641' - 60 Stories - U/C. SkyscraperPage. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  41. ^ a b One Rincon Hill Newsletter, Spring 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  42. ^ Crew adores Rincon tower but can't afford to live there. San Francisco Chronicle (2006-08-13). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  43. ^ Donald Swearingen. One Rincon Hill Thread-Post 719. SkyscraperPage. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
  44. ^ Based on Google Earth images and drawings.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Tallest buildings in San Francisco
Skyscrapers over 492 ft (150 m)
Highrises over 300 ft (91 m)
50 California Street · St. Regis Museum Tower · 100 Pine Center · 45 Fremont Center · 333 Market Street · 650 California Street · 100 First Plaza · One California · San Francisco Marriott · Russ Building · PacBell Building · JP MorganChase Building · The Paramount · Providian Financial Building · Three Embarcadero Center · Two Embarcadero Center · 595 Market Street · 123 Mission Street · 101 Montgomery · Embarcadero West · California Automobile Association Building · Four Seasons Hotel · One Maritime Plaza · St. Francis Hotel · Shell Building · Westin San Francisco -- Market Street · Holiday Inn San Francisco · One Market Plaza (Steuart Tower) · 199 Fremont Street · 425 California Street · Grand Hyatt San Francisco · Equitable Life Building · Fox Plaza · InterContinental Hotel San Francisco · 101 Second Street · 120 Montgomery Street · 580 California Street · 601 California Street · Hilton San Francisco & Towers II · 450 Sutter Street · Stevenson Place · 55 Second Street · 150 California Street · 225 Bush Street · 505 Montgomery Street · Bechtel Building · California Building · The Fairmont San Francisco · 180 Montgomery Street · Central Plaza · The Summit · W Hotel San Francisco · Phillip Burton Federal Building · 555 Market Street · One Bush Plaza · San Francisco City Hall
Under construction
Millennium Tower · One Rincon Hill South Tower · 555 Mission Street · The Infinity I & II
Future buildings
Transbay Transit Center & Tower, Renzo Piano Towers I & II · 181 Fremont Street · Sheraton Palace Hotel Residential Tower · Harbor Village Resort · 350 Mission Street · 509 Howard Street · One Rincon Hill North Tower · Treasure Island development · 201 Folsom Street I & II · 45 Lansing Street · The Californian at Rincon Hill · 340-350 Fremont Street · 555 Washington · 10th and Market · California Pacific Van Ness Hospital · 524 Howard Street