Meeting Information

Civic_Design_Committee

CIVIC DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE
Monday, May 11,  2009
3:00 p.m.
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 70

Minutes

Commissioners Present: Topher Delaney, René Bihan, Cass Calder Smith,  Leo Chow

Staff Present:   Luis R. Cancel, Vicky Knoop, Susan Pontious, Judy Moran

Call To Order: 3:05 p.m.

Mr. Cancel explained to the Committee that Director of Programs, Jill Manton would not be able to attend this meeting but expressed his appreciation for her work on the memorandum of understanding with the Municipal Transportation Agency (“SFMTA”) on the Central Subway project. He also noted his appreciation for Judy Moran, Project Manager, San Francisco Arts Commission, and her leadership on the arts master plan for the project.

Ms. Moran recognized Mary Chou, Public Art Program Associate and thanked the Committee.

1.  Central Subway - Phase 1
   
   John Funghi, SFMTA Project Manager, said that Central Subway is a project that is primarily federally funded. The federal component of the funding levels will be evaluated and approved in 2011. He explained that they hope to enter into final design at the end of this year and plan to break ground in 2010. He introduced Albert Hoe, SFMTA Project Engineer; Mona Tamari, Architect; Kwan Henmi Architecture/Planning; and Drew Howard.
   
   Mr. Howard explained that this is the second phase of the Third Street Light Rail project and consists of 1.7 miles of underground subway.
   
   Mr. Hoe informed the Committee that in the past this line was used as an aboveground historic streetcar corridor that was later replaced by bus routes. The Central Subway will have one surface station at Brannan and Fourth Streets, and three below ground stations serving Moscone Center, Union Square, and Chinatown. The surface station will be similar to the existing stations along the Third Street line. The first below ground station will be located at Folsom and Fourth Streets, and will provide access to Moscone Convention Center. Crossing Market, the new tunnels will go below the existing Muni and Bart tracks and provide a transfer point to the Market Street lines at the Union Square station, which will span two and a half blocks. The line will continue to Chinatown where the last stop will be located, but the tunnel will continue to Columbus Avenue for removal of equipment.
   
   Ms. Tamari described the architecture of the three underground stations. The entry and exit for the first underground station will be at Clementina and Fourth Streets. It is an open-air entry with elevators, escalators and stairs that open to the convention center. The station lobby is very open with guardrails and a possible display area for public art. In this station there are large beams holding up the opposing walls in the station due to the geological constraints. The first level belowground is purely mechanical, and the platform level of the station is smaller and narrower than most stations, exactly fitting two-car trains. The City is purchasing the land and will work with a developer to create a mixed use building around the station that will be reviewed at a later time.
   
   Ms. Tamari then described how the Union Square/Market Street station will be accessible from Powell Street station and from a new entry on Union Square. She explained that the existing terraces will be part of a landscape plan for the station entry which includes seating and a canopy over the escalators. The first level below grade will have places for stores to open into the station and places for public art. The desire is for passengers to treat this as one station with the Powell station.
   
   Ms. Tamari explained that the Chinatown station will use an off-street lot, similar to the Moscone station. The building above the station will be designed and reviewed at a later date. The first level below grade is a landing and the platform configuration is very similar to Moscone. The grade changes on street level prevent an entirely open entryway, and guardrails will be used between the columns. The building is set back farther from the sidewalk than other buildings on the block, which is intended to increase the width of the sidewalk. Unlike Moscone, the station will not have support beams between opposite walls and will have a large curved open cavern. The main materials in the design will be concrete, metal and glass for openness and security.
   
   Commissioner Smith opened the floor to public comment. There was none.
   
   Commissioner Delaney asked about the integration of public art.
   
   Ms. Moran explained that they are currently in the review process, and details of the program will be presented during Phase 2. She suggested that a joint meeting of Civic Design Review and the Visual Art Committee would be appropriate for this project.
   
   Commissioner Bihan commented that these are very significant civic spaces and expressed concern about the modesty of the place-making of the aboveground portions, especially in Union Square.
   
   Commissioner Delaney commented that planting trees on the sidewalks could cause further pedestrian flow problems. She encouraged the team to look for opportunities to work with pedestrian movement in Chinatown.
   
   Commissioner Chow commented that the Moscone Station is a good candidate for additional access points, if possible. He added that the location of the air intake and exhaust should be examined for their impact on the surrounding areas.
   
   Commissioner Smith suggested coming up with a creative way to mark the entrances and suggested looking to European examples.
   
   The Commissioners agreed that the Union Square entrance should be stronger and have a greater impact.
   
   Commissioner Chow suggested relocating the elevator to the same plaza as the escalators at Union Square.
   
   Commissioner Delaney encouraged the design team to explore lighting options.
   
   Commissioner Smith commented that the phased mixed-use design will succeed or fail based on the strategy planned early on. He added that it should be conceptualized now as one project, and advised that strict zoning would provide leverage for problems in the future.
   
   Commissioner Bihan suggested that the design follow the Better Streets Master Plan to address bulb-outs and place-making.
   
   

2. Crystal Springs/San Andreas Transmission System Upgrade - Phase 1
   
   Tasso Mavroudis, Project Manager, SFPUC, introduced the project and said that the pump station is in need of seismic upgrades. He introduced Mike Pierron, Architect, DPW BOA.
   
   Mr. Pierron explained that the project is part of the Hetch Hetchy Watershed and is located below the Eugene Norian bridge. The existing pump station will stay in place until the new pump station is built. The site concept is to restore the habitat of the area.
   
   Commissioner Chow commented that the entry doesn’t need to be called out so much and could be the same color or material as the rest of the building.
   
   Commissioner Smith suggested using wire-reinforced glass instead of fiberglass. He also suggested creating a visual element on the roof, as it is visible from the bridge overhead.
   
   Mr. Pierron said they would like to have a green roof but are awaiting approval.
   
   
   Motion to approve Phase 1 of the Crystal Springs/San Andreas Transmission System Upgrade with the contingency to look at alternatives to fiberglass and present creative solutions to the roof: Commissioner Smith
   
   Vote: Unanimously approved.
   
   

3. San Antonio Pump Station - Phase 3
   
   Peter Wong, DPW BOA Project Manager, presented the alternate pattern on the concrete of the pump station. He introduced Bill Bulkley, Landscape Architect, DPW BOE.
   
   Mr. Bulkley explained that the landscaping strategy will remove brush and reuse the existing ground covers.
   
   Commissioner Smith asked the project team to return with materials samples of the concrete and other options for the color of the louvers and trim.
   

4. Golden Gate Valley Branch Library - Phase 2
   
   Paulett Taggart, Tom Eliot Fisch/Paulett Taggart Architects, presented the renovation of the Golden Gate Branch Library. She explained that the new addition will be in the back of the courtyard and will include an elevator for access to the second floor. The revised landscape plan will replace existing trees with red maple and will add planters with flax around the entry. She presented a materials board and explained that there will be donor bricks in rows across the courtyard.
   
   Commissioner Bihan commented that the spacing of the replanted trees should give prominence to the front entry.
   
   Commissioner Delaney commented that the flax selected for the planters is hard to maintain because it may rip in the wind.
   
   Commissioner Bihan suggested alternative planting materials to the landscape architect.
   
   The Commissioners agreed that the landscape plan should be revised with fewer trees or rearrangement of the trees into groups.
   
   Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Golden Gate Library Renovation with the contingency to revise the landscape plan of the street trees: Commissioner Chow.
   
   Vote: Unanimously approved.
   
   

5. San Francisco International Airport Terminal 2/Boarding Area D Renovations Project - Phase 2
   
   Raymond G. Quesada, Project Manager, Bureau of Design and Construction, San Francisco Airport, explained that this is a design-build contract awarded to Turner Construction and Gensler. He introduced Terence Young, Project Architect, Gensler.
   
   Mr. Young stated that the scope of work is to renovate Terminal Two and add four gates to the domestic terminal. Virgin America has agreed to use SFO as a home airport and will use this terminal for operations. Additional square footage will be added to accommodate new gates, and the materials will adhere to the existing SFO palette and approved color list. The half-hemisphere canopy will be removed on the land side and a new canopy will be installed.
   
   Susan Pontious, San Francisco Arts Commission, presented the glass artwork that will be built into the land-side façade of the building. The glass wall incorporates pixelated images that coalesce and are abstracted as the viewer approaches the work.
   
   Commissioner Smith asked whether the artist or the architect designed the fins on the artwork.
   
   Mr. Young responded that the fins are part of the architecture.
   
   The Commissioners agreed that the fins on the artwork should be removed.
   
   Commissioner Smith commented that the façade would look better without the canopy.
   
   Commissioner Delaney said that the design seems busy and the connecting bridge looks tacked-on.
   
   Commissioner Chow agreed that the bridge visually chops up the façade. He commented that the shapes of the bridge, canopy, artwork and blue wall are not working together; it should be treated as one big façade. He suggested finding alternatives for the columns of the canopy.
   
   Commissioner Smith suggested making the canopy more pedestrian in scale. He added that it looks like the art is crashing into the building and it feels unresolved.
   
   Commissioner Delaney added that the bridge works against the art and that they are not well integrated.
   
   The Commissioners suggested identifying the bridge as a potential space for public art for future projects.
   
   Commissioner Smith commented that the gable on the air side could be less residential, but appreciated the response to the Committee’s comments since Phase 1 review.
   
   
   

6. Sunol Yard Prefabricated Structures - Administrative Phase 3
   
   Motion to approve Phase 3 of the Sunol Yard Prefabricated Structures: Commissioner Smith
   
   Vote: Unanimously approved.
   
   

7. New Business
   There was no new business.
   
   
   

8. Adjournment: 6:45  p.m.
   
   
   vmk 6/19/09