Columbia Square Affordable Housing, Apartments
San Francisco, California

Located in San Francisco's South of Market district, Columbia Square housing integrates affordable family housing into a varied commercial and light industrial neighborhood. Columbia Square responds to the building typologies of Folsom Street which is lined with various commercial establishments, most with residences above, as well as with those of the neighboring narrow alleys which are scattered with light industrial workshops and warehouses. This four story, 50 unit apartment building maintains an urban edge along Folsom Street while reducing in mass toward the main entry on Columbia Square, a small alley. Ground floor offices are accessed from Folsom Street, while the residential entrance on Columbia Square is buffered from the traffic by a forecourt. The materials used - concrete, wood and galvanized steel - are a sampling of materials and textures found in local buildings.

The tenants of this project, sponsored by Mercy Charities Housing of California, are comprised of families earning less than 60% of household income for San Francisco residents. These are primarily working families who have previously lived in overcrowded conditions or who have paid an extremely high proportion of their income to rent.

A central courtyard serves as the main organizational element. Opening to the west, it provides a shared garden and play space. Stepping up to the second floor level, the courtyard is a unifying element in the building layout, connecting the circulation loop and providing a protected environment for the adults and children to meet and play. The landscape elements include planters, trellises, tile mosaics and sculptural colored concrete seating areas.

awards

Design Matters: Best Practices in Affordable Housing
University of Illinois, City Design Center
Design Matters Best Practices in Affordable Housing
University of Illinois at Chicago
AIA Honor Award / Best of the Bay and Beyond
American Institute of Architects San Francisco Examiner

project details

Associate Architect

B+V Architects

Architect

David Baker + Partners

Landscape Architect

Delaney + Citron

Structural Engineer

Dominic Chu

Photographer

David Wakeley

General Contractor

Cahill Contractors

Nonprofit Housing Developer

Mercy Charities Housing