The Women’s Building is the first woman-owned and operated community center in the country. The program for the renovation and seismic upgrade this landmark building included an auditorium, cafe, meeting rooms, child care center, information and referral center, public meeting spaces, and offices of various sizes. The un-reinforced masonry building required a seismic upgrade in order to meet the City of San Francisco building codes. The historic building required careful attention to preserving the Mission Revival detailing while transforming the structure into a new community center and gathering space for women.

The design team held numerous workshops that assembled building tenants, community members, and the staff to determine how to integrate the new uses with the historic envelope and unite them around a spiral-shaped core.