633 Folsom

• San Francisco, CA
• 2011-present
• CLIENT: The Swig Company

This existing office tower in the SoMa neighborhood is being renovated and expanded. In close collaboration with Gensler, Mantle re-envisioned the building frame to create a terraced urban landscape that maximizes opportunities for activity.

Located between Second and Hawthorne Streets in the bustling SoMa neighborhood, the design thoughtfully reinforces the architectural improvements, establishing a porous relationship between the sidewalk and ground floor of the building to create strong retail opportunities and an activated edge for people to sit. The manipulation of topography, within a narrow zone, is highly calibrated to maximize space while remaining elegant and timeless.

The landscape illustrates a progressive approach to sustainability and supportive ecology. An unoccupied roof on the 6th level is fully dedicated to improving the site’s ecological impact and employs both an intensive and extensive green roof design. The roof garden creates new habitat for aerial species, reduces the impact of heat island effect and aggressively manages stormwater on this dense urban infill site. The highlight is a large, raised stormwater treatment planter filled with a dense grove of red maple trees and red-twig dogwood that create nesting opportunities and greening within the urban core.

This project commenced at Meyer + Silberberg Land Architects with Ramsey Silberberg as Principal. The project was awarded to Mantle which serves as the Landscape Architect of Record.