A 123,000-sq.-ft multibuilding residential project is rising in downtown San Francisco, and more than 30 architects toured the construction site last week in an event hosted by AISC, AIA San Francisco and members of the project’s team.
Before the site tour, presentations were given by Bruce Prescott, AIA, LEED AP, an architect and urban designer; Kevin Michelmore, PE, a project manager at Olson Steel (an AISC member and certified fabricator and erector); and Guy Estes, vice president at Cahill Contractors. They discussed how project team coordination played an important role in the project’s success, as well as the Pueblo Building Technology system that was used for the project. (Pueblo is a structural steel framing system made up of prefabricated braced frames and ladder frames; the prefabrication results in significantly lower field labor costs and faster construction.) The buildings were originally designed in wood but when the project was over budget, a steel framing system was explored and ultimately selected, resulting in the ability to build taller, take full advantage of zoning limits, add more housing units and lower the cost per unit.
The project consists of three buildings that will comprise 120 units, a community room, a childcare center, management offices and laundry rooms.