Transbay Transit Tower, tallest building in San Francisco, breaks ground

-- Pelli Clarke Pelli tower joins Transbay Transit Center

SAN FRANCISCO, March 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Officials ceremonially broke ground today for Transbay Transit Tower, the building by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects that will be San Francisco's tallest.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130327/NE84161 )

Standing 1,070 feet tall (326 meters), the 60-story office tower will be the tallest on the West Coast and the seventh tallest in the U.S. The tower will connect directly to the Transbay Transit Center, a multi-modal transportation hub also designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. Together, the tower and the transit center form the new heart of a revitalized neighborhood.

"The Transbay Transit Tower and neighboring Transbay Transit Center are powerful individual buildings designed with a common civic purpose—to create the 21st century gateway to San Francisco and a state-of-the-art place marker on its skyline," said Fred Clarke, senior principal of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. "Embodying sustainable, transit-based development, the tower combined with the transit center  is a model for the future of our cities."

The tower takes the timeless form of the obelisk and has a slender, tapering silhouette. The walls are composed of clear glass with pearlescent white, metal accents. These horizontal and vertical accents gradually taper in depth to accentuate the curved glass corners. The walls rise past the top floor to form a transparent crown that appears to dissolve into the sky. Carved into the tower top is a vertical facet that will be lit at night. Like the transit center, the design for the tower emphasizes sustainability and has a LEED Gold objective.

"Transbay Transit Tower will be a new icon for the city and state," said Paul Paradis, Hines senior managing director. "The tower will also set a new standard for healthy and productive work environments."

Hines and Boston Properties will develop the tower. The sale of land to the tower developers is helping to fund the transit center. Pelli Clarke Pelli, working with Hines, was awarded the tower and the transit center commission after winning an international competition in 2007.

Founded in 1977 and led by Cesar Pelli, Fred Clarke, and Rafael Pelli, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects has designed some of the world's most recognizable buildings, including the World Financial Center in New York, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, and the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong.