Call To Order: 3:05 p.m.
SFMTA Cable Car Kiosk - Phase 3
Olle Lundberg, Lundberg Design, explained that the Cable Car Kiosk has been modified to have a perforated metal design depicting images from the cable car system. He presented a video showing daylight studies of the red floodlights at night.
Commissioner Smith opened the floor to public comment. Seeing none, he closed the floor to public comment.
Commissioner Bihan asked about the location of the kiosk on Powell Street.
Diana Hammonds, SFMTA, replied that the location is still set away from the Cable Car queue, but the project team hopes to move it back to the queue.
Mr. Cancel responded that he would write a letter of support for this location change.
Commissioner Bihan commented favorably on the photography to be displayed on the kiosk.
Commissioner Smith suggested that the awning of the building be moved up slightly. He also suggested the word tickets be made more visible.
Motion to approve Phase 3 of the SFMTA Cable Car Kiosk: Commissioner Chow.
Vote: unanimously approved.
Commissioner Delaney joined the meeting at 3:15 p.m.
2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond - Informational Presentation
Rhoda Parhams, Director of Planning and the Capital Division, Department of Recreation and Parks, explained that in 2008 the citizens approved a $185 million dollar bond to improve park restrooms and eliminate serious safety risks in neighborhoods. The bulk of the funds are for major projects, but a few are for small neighborhood programs.
She explained that the schedule will begin with the new Chinese Recreation Center. Projects to follow include renovating Mission Playground, Palega Playground, Cayuga playground, McCoppin Square, Sunset Playground, and Fulton Playgroud.
Commissioner Delaney asked if DPW BOA will work on the architecture or if the projects will be brought out into the private sector.
Ms. Parhams explained efforts will move forward with both private and BOA architects. The driving factors in the decision are timeline and cost. She added that they have won awards with DPW buildings and are happy to continue to do great work with the City architects.
Commissioner Delaney commented that she would prefer to see open competition for these projects.
Ms. Parhams responded that San Francisco requires City employees work on City projects. She added that her department has engaged with outside firms on select projects.
Mark Dorian, Assistant City Architect, DPW BOA, commented that historically BOA has given out work to the private sector. He added that roughly a third to half of the Recreation and Park Department projects were given to the private sector. Although, in the past two or three years, cost and economic conditions have changed such that DPW would take on the majority of the design work.
Ms. Manton suggested it may be beneficial to ask the City Attorneys to explain the scope and jurisdiction of the Civic Design Review committee.
Commissioner Smith commented that the client departments need to keep a high bar for the design when working with architects.
Commissioner Delaney commented that in some parks, especially in Europe, you can identify the architect and landscape architect by the aesthetic of the design. She added that landscape architecture should be approached as art.
Ms. Parhams responded that she and her team have heard the challenge to raise the bar for civic structures and landscape, and they hope to capture what has been said into the design.
Commissioner Chow commented that this is an important conversation and appreciates that it is happening early. He added that with each set of bond projects there should be a strategy in place to address the design as a group of projects.
Chinese Recreation Center - Phase 2
Mary Hobson, Project Director, Department of Recreation and Parks gave a brief history of the project and introduced the design team from DPW, Mike Pierron, Architect, Fara Perez, Architect and Edward Chin, Landscape Architect.
Mr. Pierron presented the original Phase 2 design and views from the building. He explained that the site plan establishes a connection between the multiple entrances. The changes from the original Phase 2 design include modifications to the glass entry and windows added to the alley. The back elevation has more glazing to allow additional light into the building. The new design treats the gym and multipurpose room as separate entities. There is now a small plaza in the front of the building.
Ms. Perez explained that the building will still have a concrete base with graffiti coating. The stucco will be a brownish red. The corner of Washington and Mason streets will be the glass box entry with aluminum. The building has been made lighter with a glass frame around the gymnasium. She presented an alternate rendering with the monolith in tile or stone.
Mr. Chin explained that the redesigned entry allowed for landscaping in the front of the building. He explained that the play equipment was chosen with the Department of Recreation and Park staff and community input. He addressed a comment from the previous meeting that there should be additional planting. He explained that the planting has been added to define the play areas. He presented images of the play structures and equipment.
Commissioner Smith opened the floor to public comment. Seeing none, he closed the floor to public comment.
Commissioner Smith asked about the set back of the windows and the materials of the column.
Mr. Pierron responded that they would be set back the windows a few inches and that it can not be cast in place, so it will need to be precast and have a surface of tile or another material.
Commissioner Smith commented that the transition into the building is the right size and makes sense. He added that he likes that the monolith works as a third object and it should not be concrete or stucco. He said that he was concerned about the anodized aluminum.
Commissioner Chow commented that the stucco samples should have a bit more orange and the window mullions should be darker as well. He suggested looking to Chinese screens that are highly geometric. He also suggested looking into wood or another material for the monolith to celebrate the entrance.
Mr. Pierron said that they could not lower the roof of the glass portion.
Commissioner Chow asked that they negotiate the width of the clerestory to tighten the lines.
Commissioner Bihan asked about the relation of the planting to the architecture. He commented that it doesn’t make sense spatially.
Mr. Chin replied that the landscaping is relating the play equipment and not as much to the building.
Commissioner Bihan commented that the choice of Ginkgos spaced seven feet apart will not read as a grove. He added that the landscape should refer to the building. He said that the design team should be more playful and have a direct design idea.
Commissioner Delaney agreed that the landscape doesn’t match with the building. She added that the black bamboo will need to be maintained.
Commissioner Bihan said that the design doesn’t need the planting at the entry and offered to meet with the landscape architects.
Motion to approve Phase 2 with the contingency of presenting a revised landscape plan and creative options for the surface of the monolith: Commissioner Smith.
Sunset Playground Renovation Project - Phase 1
Ms. Parhams introduced the project team of Douglas Ullman, Architectural Administrator, DPW BOA and John Thomas, Landscape Architect, DPW BOE.
She explained that the construction of the building will begin in 2012 as part of the Clean and Safe Neighborhood bond project. The original architect was William Merchant and this is one of four similar buildings in San Francisco. The concept of the renovation is to open up the area to create visual connections within the building. There was an underutilized space between the buildings that will now be incorporated into the structure. She added that the existing floor plan has mostly been maintained.
Mr. Ullman said that the major design moves are the arched glazing which has been added to the form. The new entry element echoes the arch. The rear of the building will be used for storage and new bathrooms. Additionally there will be new windows on the multipurpose room.
Mr. Thomas showed the compartmental quality of all the areas in the current landscape. He said that part of their goal was to create better flow from the interior to the exterior of the spaces. He presented the rendered site plan. Lawton street will be treated as the primary entry with greater landscaping. Around the park perimeter will be an alternating rhythm of pervious pavers and flowering shrubs. Some of the elements for improvement would be matched to the opposite side of the entry. There will be seat walls that define the play areas. The lawn will be converted to an outdoor patio space with views of the ball courts.
Commissioner Smith opened the floor to public comment. Seeing none, he closed the floor.
Commissioner Chow asked about the activities in the building.
Mr. Ullman responded that there will be a new multiuse room, an expanded restroom, renovated kitchen, and storage room for the outdoor sports equipment.
Commissioner Smith commented that the new entryway canopy does not need to reflect the arch of the gymnasium. He added that the new storage area makes the two buildings touch, and that it should be set back in a way that it disappears.
Commissioner Chow suggested creating an entry statement on the North side by bringing light into the building. He added that the project team should look into what the landscape spaces are used for and to work on the pathways between them.
Commissioner Bihan said he appreciated that the landscape architect was presenting in Phase 1. He commented that the design should consider the scale of the spaces and if it is to be a programmed space or more performance based design.
Commissioner Delaney asked about the philosophy of the play area.
Mr. Thomas responded that the playground is not only recreational, but also promotes the sociability of the spaces.
Commissioner Delaney responded that there is quite a bit of curbing without many gathering spaces.
The commissioners requested that the project return with a revised landscape plan, a new entry statement for the building, and greater integration of the building into the landscape with consideration to pathways.
Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant Expansion and Treated Water Reservoir Project - Phase 2
Ravi Krishnahiah, SFPUC Project Manager, said that the existing water treatment facility requires seismic improvements. He explained that the site is south of Walnut Creek off of Calaveras Road and the structures will be a chemical canopy and prefabricated electrical building. He introduced Kent Ford, Project Architect, DPW BOA.
Mr. Ford presented site photographs and explained the design concept is to conform to existing water infrastructure design in the area. There are several canopy structures near by that are designed to be solar collectors. He said that the electrical building is prefabricated with a utility wall.
Commissioner Smith asked if the canopies will be used for solar panels.
Mr. Ford replied that this site is not ideal for solar collection.
Commissioner Smith opened the floor to public comment. Seeing none, he closed the floor to public comment.
Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant: Commissioner Smith.
Vote: Unanimously approved.
San Antonio Back-Up Pipeline - Chemical Facility and Electrical Control Building – Phase 2
Motion to approve Phase 2 of the San Antonio Back-Up Pipeline – Chemical Facility and Electrical Control Building: Commissioner Smith.
Vote: Unanimously approved.
Harding Park Recycled Water Project - Phase 1 and 2
Edmund Shum, Project Architect, DPW BOA presented the changes from the previous design. He explained that the decorative elements were removed from the design and they will use a mixture of different CMU block. The channels and the I beams are used as a tribute to the industrial areas of the site. The roof runoff will be diverted in swales.
Commissioner Smith explained that a few of the commissioners met with the design team to discuss using glass block with the CMU to create a pattern. He asked about the pattern of the glass block.
Mr. Shum responded that they created a random pattern.
Commissioner Smith replied that the committee hoped the architect would present a tough industrial box with one stroke of something interesting.
Commissioner Delaney said that she understands that the building is constricted by functionality, but the architect should be able to push the design further.
Commissioner Smith asked the project to return with a more creative solution. He suggested they look into making the building taller.
Commissioner Chow agreed and added that the design problem to solve is taking two materials, CMU and glass block, and creating an interesting, great structure.
PUC Water Supply and Diversification Projects - Informational Presentation
Suzanne Gautier, SFPUC explained that the water diversification projects are intended to make the region less reliant on brought in water. The well station sites for SF ground water supply will often be in neighborhoods and on sites serving duel purposes.
Commissioner Delaney suggested that the project work with artists for each of the sites. These are a great opportunity to have each well station designed by a different artist who creates an envelope for the well station.
Ms. Gautier replied that there can be some attention given to this idea as they will mostly be in park settings. She then presented the regional groundwater storage and recovery project well station sites throughout the peninsula. She added that the wells will produce one million gallons per day and will be approximately twenty feet by twenty feet and will be in preliminary design for the next year to fifteen months.
Ms. Manton commented that there are similar water facilities that incorporate an educational element.
Commissioner Chow asked if there was a vision for the PUC as a whole.
Commissioner Smith commented that the PUC should have design guidelines and encourage new projects to embrace them. He added that each project should create a document of design aspiration and requirements.
New Business
There was no new business.
Adjournment: 6:35 p.m.
vmk correction 12/4/09
