British architect Foster + Partners has been awarded planning permission for the Oceanwide Center, a project containing two crystalline glass towers in San Francisco, California.
The 2.3 million square foot development houses two mixed-use towers, the 605ft Mission Street Tower accommodating a hotel and residences and a 850ft tower on First Street, containing office and residential spaces.
The First Street development is set to become the second tallest building in the city, after the 853ft Transamerica Pyramid.
The towers feature public spaces and pedestrian connections designed to support the increased density, while "restoring and revitalising" two historic buildings on site.
The development is located in San Francisco’s South of Market neighbourhood and is part of the Transbay development plan.
The buildings are "open" at ground level and have been "lifted up" by five storeys to provide "urban room" for the public.
The space is crisscrossed by pedestrian routes that are an extension of the streets and alleyways in the area.
Foster + Partners are working in collaboration with local studio Heller Manus Architects.
The project will have a wide ranging programme of art installations throughout the public spaces, along with landscaping by Kathryn Gustafson.
The Planning Commission says "the project will generate substantial revenues that will contribute to the development of transportation infrastructure, including the Transit Center and the Downtown Rail Extension, and other improvements envisioned by the Transit Center Plan.
It will also "add employment and housing opportunities within an intense, walkable urban context", while "employees and residents would be able to walk or utilise transit to commute and satisfy convenience needs without reliance on the private automobile."
Groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for November 2016.
Images via Foster + Partners
