The project supports alternative transportation, achieving a Transit Score of 100 through WalkScore’s metrics. Located in a dense urban center, pedestrians have access to a wide variety of public services and local businesses, as well as a broad socio-economic range of residential neighborhoods. In a city full of bicycling commuters, the SFPUC has included a large bike storage and changing facility, as well as ample bike racks for visitors to the building.
The careful building massing benchmarks the new structure to the neighboring buildings and the use of the locally quarried sierra white granite, which is a material of historic use in San Francisco, ensures that the new SFPUC building is a complementary addition to San Francisco’s Civic Center district. It possesses a clear visual relationship to the neighboring projects, and extends the pedestrian experience to activate this central urban space. The building lobbies are open to the public, and allow for public interaction through a small café. Additionally, an educational dashboard educates the public on the Public Utilities Commission’s mission, the many programs they offer, and the mitigated impact of the SFPUC’s building and water services on the natural resources in the region.