Welcome to our San Francisco studio
Tucked beneath the Bay Bridge overlooking the water, our studio has certainly carved out its place in the City by the Bay. Inside our LEED Platinum workplace, we spend our days designing a better future for the city around us. Research and purpose are at the forefront of everything we do: we’re committed to innovation for the greater good of our community. And, we’re proud to live up to a California stereotype or two: sustainability is non-negotiable, and keeping our cool is key.
Did you know that we have a residential design studio? Click to view our portfolio or visit Pfau Long Architecture to learn more and get in touch.
I think this probably becomes even more true in the age of sustainable architecture. A lot of passive design strategies require specific relationships between parts of the building – size of windows vs. depth of rooms affect passive lighting, height and shapes of spaces can be leveraged for effective ventilation – the list is long! Overall, the “function” of sustainability requires certain forms to work correctly, and therefore can have a significant impact on the resulting form of a building.
The LEED Platinum, Net-Zero Energy Childcare Center we designed for a confidential client was a huge accomplishment that I am very proud of. The structure was built with mass timber, and products were selected and screened according to Perkins and Will’s Precautionary List, to prioritize materials that reduce exposure to harmful substances.
Designers are inherently more attuned to aesthetics and the sense of responsibility we have to community and place. We work to create beautiful places with the hope that communities will fall in love with these places and take responsibility for keeping them beautiful. We can do better than settling for just being less harmful to the earth in our designs and practices, in how we live. Imagine – an idea both ancient and radical – that humans love the world so much our planet is improved by our presence here. I believe that all of us at Perkins and Will can lead the way.
I do think our design most of time is affected by the site, its building functions, environmental needs, design aesthetics. I believe we should mostly keep in mind the design framework of public space, since it’s a significant part of general environment, it’s where shared value takes place, collectively add huge value to the experience and potential of urban area. I think the most fascinating part of environment is the public space we all live in.
We took a field trip to Nordic Structure’s (the CLT manufacturer for our 1 De Haro project) facility in Chibougamau, central Quebec.
Check out Project Manager Matt Covall’s account of the trip – complete with behind the scenes photos and videos – by clicking HERE.
Almost a decade ago, Perkins and Will’s San Francisco studio led the team tasked with envisioning a Better Market Street.
Today, the downtown section of San Francisco’s artery that connects its hills to its bay, prioritizes pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation by closing access to private vehicles.
With a section of Market Street becoming car-free, we reflect on the work our studio did to get to this point. Read more about the work we did and our vision for Market Street on the blog:
Socialize with San Francisco
Work from home, play from home. @PfauLong's California Country Retreat is featured in @InteriorDesign HOMES for it's playful, custom cast-concrete ping-pong/dining table (complete with a backdrop to die for)! https://homes.interiordesign.net/articles/18293-play-at-home-with-12-recreation-spaces #residentialdesign #residentialarchitecture
"This conversation has shown that #PDR itself can be an important tool in the resilience of cities." - Avi Rajagopal, @MetropolisMag
#ThinkTankThursday @MetropolisMag
"I view manufacturing as the beacon of hope as we navigate though this pandemic. Local making and manufacturing is now more important than ever." - Kate Sofis, @sfmade and Peter Pfau, @perkinswill_SF
#ThinkTankThursdays @MetropolisMag #PDR