IwamotoScott was commissioned by Alexandria Real Estate to design a mixed-use life sciences laboratory fitting into the Design for Development masterplan for San Francisco's Mission Bay district. 

In response to input from community meetings, an earlier, taller 12 story massing yielding roughly 200,000sf was adapted to become the 7 seven story version that was built. IwamotoScott's design maintained the same square footage while offering, larger more efficient lab floorplates, plus multistory corner atriums capitalizing on views and the potential for better inter-floor communication.

The design of the building responds to its prominent position in relation to both its immediate surroundings and  the skyline of downtown San Francisco to the north.

The facade wraps the building with a flowing pattern of curtain wall modules with a fluctuating mix of metal panels, fins and glass, giving way to all glass areas at opposing corners marking a series of corner  atriums.

A public park is planned for the open site directly to the north, ensuring future visibility to and from the building.

Facing a corner plaza at the intersection of Owens Street and Nelson Rising Way, the faceted precast entry portal announces entry and offers a contrasting material quality at the buildings threshold.

Facing a corner plaza at the intersection of Owens Street and Nelson Rising Way, the faceted precast entry portal announces entry and offers a contrasting material quality at the buildings threshold.

Close-up views reveal the facade's richly detailed pattern of metal fins and reveals between windows.

The front facade inflects toward the center, reflecting a nuanced relationship between the building's massing and the pattern and directionality of surrounding streets.

The facade's metal panel finish a mica-infused paint gives the building a subtly ever-changing quality dependent on the  time of year, the changing light of day and varying position of the viewer.  As such, at times the building has golden glow, while  at other times  it has darker tones ranging from copper to bronze.

The building's design responds to complex site conditions with an overall form incorporating a stack of shifting multi-story tiers. The irregularly shape site is visible from multiple directions and vantage points, while offering incredible outward views toward the surrounding context including Twin Peaks, the downtown skyline, Bay Bridge and East Bay hills beyond.

Elevation drawings show how the massing is articulated by alternating shifting blocks of two and three story heights,  further emphasized by the corner atriums

An Isometric wireframe diagram shows atrium and lobby locations, animated by custom designed light clusters.

A wood paneled liner defines the entrance lobby as an interlocking of  three-dimensional volumes and spaces.

Ultimatley the building's design responds to the experientially rich and complex context it is sistuated within in this part of San Francisco - where a wide range of different views from and to the building are afforded with respect to adjacencent streets, the raised i280 freeway and elevated viewpoints on nearby Potrero Hill.