The MVRDV-designed residential and commercial building The Canyon has been completed in San Francisco. The complex on the bay of the American city consists of 285 apartments and 5,400 square meters of office space. The Canyon is part of a new neighborhood on a former parking lot across from the stadium of San Francisco Giants baseball club.
The Canyon consists of a 23-story tower and three lower volumes, between which runs diagonally a "gap" that acts as a street. With its reddish-brown facade, whimsical silhouette and prominent position near the bridge across the water, the complex is a landmark for the eleven-acre new Mission Rock neighborhood.
Like the east side of the tower, the walls of the street between the buildings have an erratic shape, with steps and overhangs that create the impression of sheer cliffs, according to MVRDV. The shape has the added benefit of allowing bay windows and French balconies to be created for forty apartments, with views of the San Francisco Bay. The plinth roofs will have green roof gardens, where residents can relax, play sports or meet with friends.
Mission Rock consists of four buildings, sharing energy and water infrastructure. For example, The Canyon houses the main mechanical elements of a district heating system, located on the first floor and in the building's basement. In addition, the basement houses a bicycle storage facility.
Water exchange system
A water exchange system, using water from San Francisco Bay, heats and cools the buildings. A building designed by WORKac houses another water recycling plant that processes wastewater from throughout the neighborhood for reuse. The other two buildings in Mission Rock were designed by Studio Gang and Henning Larsen.
Mission Rock was developed by San Francisco Giants, Tishman Speyer and the Port of San Francisco. MVRDV partnered with San Francisco-based firm Perry Architects, landscape architect GLS Landscape/Architecture and PAE Engineers to design The Canyon.
