Potrero Yard Modernization Project
Aligning with San Francisco’s ambitious sustainability and affordable housing goals, SCB master-planned and designed mixed-use development parcels for the Potrero Yards Modernization initiative, a two-city block site with mixed-use zoning. This project was part of a larger collaboration between SCB, Owen Kennerly, and Stantec.
Using progressive approaches to urban design and multifamily housing, the project aims to transform an obsolete bus depot into a modern hub for the City’s electric bus fleet and incorporate market-rate and affordable housing, retail, and on-site amenities.
The design significantly improves accessibility, and outdoor areas promote wellness. The project removes all visible bus circulation from the street level on-site and brings it inside the depot’s interior for maintenance, charging, and maneuvering. This action reduces overall noise and traffic, opening up additional street space with clearly defined lanes for transportation and bikers.
The municipal facility is wrapped in new residential and retail spaces. It creates an urban edge on all sides with a high-degree of ground-level transparency and activation, and a strong relationship to an existing park. The building’s serrated shape evokes a sculpted, stepping-down entrance into the park, allowing natural light to flood the neighboring areas. The tallest building in the development, located strategically the furthest from the park, fits seamlessly into the urban fabric without creating additional shadow.
Landscaping rises from the park to meet the development’s rooftops, creating lush outdoor terraces. A public stair directly across from the main pedestrian walk leads to an amphitheater.
The Potrero Yards design aligns with the City’s ambitious sustainability goals by prioritizing energy efficiency wherever possible. All-electric buildings use photovoltaics to offset energy use for city functions and common areas.
