Golden Gate Park’s Middle Lake
Middle Lake is Rising!
Spring is here and Middle Lake is almost complete and the water level is rising. Now home to aquatic plants, nesting birds and some 12,000 new plants including over 80 native species of trees and understory plants. Soon San Franciscans will be able to stroll around the lake’s edge, over two bridges and along a new cascade within a flowering pacific dogwood grove.
Come visit this summer to enjoy a stroll on the mile long loop trail, a contemplative vista from one of the numerous benches along the lake’s edge, or unroll your picnic blanket on a nearby lawn and listen to the chatter of the birds.
Golden Gate Park’s Middle Lake – Breaks Ground
INTERSTICE is proud and excited to be part of the team that is undertaking the restoration of a critical piece of green infrastructure in Golden Gate Park; we are re-building Middle Lake. This freshwater lake is one in a series of three lakes called the Chain of Lakes, which flow north from South Lake, to Middle Lake, and into North Lake at the western end of the park. The original design & construction of these lakes dates back to 1898 and all required a clay liner to hold water over the ancient sand dunes that underlie the park.
Following a year plus long design process, construction of the project began in the early months of 2023 with the selective removal of certain trees and the protection of many other existing mature trees in preparation to rehabilitate the lake.
INTERSTICE, as the landscape architect, is working with Civil Engineers AGS and Woodard & Curran, overseeing the new lake design installation to achieve improved accessibility and enjoyment for park visitors, and a diverse plant and aquatic ecology that will provide improved habitat for insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals that constitute the spectrum of the wildlife that inhabits and moves through Golden Gate Park. Bauman Construction is the General Contractor leading the construction effort working with the SF Recreation & Parks Department and SF Department of Public Works.
This significant undertaking includes replacing the clay liner lake bottom and increasing the water depth, clearing the pipes connecting Middle Lake to South and North Lakes, and rehabilitating the rock cascade that connects to the Fly Casting Pools.
The new design includes a perimeter loop trail that bridges the cascade, significant and diverse native and aquatic plantings surrounding the lake, furnished seating areas with lookouts along the new pathway which encircles the lake and climbs the slope beside the cascade. The future plantings include over a dozen native tree species, over50 species of native understory plants, including shrubs, groundcovers, grasses, rushes and aquatic and riparian species located at the lakes edge.
The establishment of the clay liner and lake edge are the first phase and significant part of the work.
Boulder mock-ups for the lake edge perimeter.
New furnishings being crafted from salvaged trees that were planned for removal or came down in this winter’s storms.
We look forward to sharing more progress as the liner is completed and the lake starts to take shape this Spring.
Amy’s Drive-Thru Construction Well Underway
We recently drove up to Corte Madera to take a look at the progress of our Amy’s Drive-Thru restaurant project—and it is starting to take shape! It is now a fully enclosed building: walls, windows, doors, and roof have sprung up this past winter. Currently, electrical systems are being installed and the site is being prepped for paving, plantings, and parking. Amy’s will become the first drive-thru restaurant in the city of Corte Madera, fully supported by the community due to its sustainability as a vegetarian eatery conscious of its environmental impact. The green roof starts installation soon!
Transbay Block 1 Tower Construction Underway
Transbay Block 1 Tower Under Construction
At 160 Folsom, construction is well underway as the first floors of Transbay Block 1 Tower are emerging. This twisting addition to the San Francisco skyline designed by Studio Gang will be completed in 2020. The surrounding landscape, streetscape, alleyway, rooftop spaces, and amenities are designed by INTERSTICE Architects.
This collaborative project pairs sustainability and landscape connectivity with human technology and development. The Ecological Corridor Concept (pictured below) promotes symbiotic relationships between the natural and built environment, connecting the new Transbay corridor park with the Bay. INTERSTICE Architects looks forward to the extended terrain of the alleyways and multiple rooftops taking shape to enhance the city’s civic realm and urban forests.
Ecological Corridor Concept
Overall Landscape Plan
2018 Summer Intern Spotlight
IA hosted a group of very special interns this year – three curious, passionate students who became integral to our office and gained valuable, firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of a busy studio.
Yuxuan (Left) and Houzhou (Right) at the new Transbay Center
Yuxuan Gu is currently studying landscape architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been an enormous help to the team at IA, providing critical support on our active projects. Yuxuan also came to IA with an undergraduate degree in architecture and was eager to gain experience at a multidisciplinary firm. With an interest in materiality and its effect on the physical experience of space, her favorite tasks at IA included drawing details and learning how to redline construction document sets. She believes these tasks to be a very important aspect of the design process and was excited to gain such valuable firsthand experience. Once Yuxuan completes her MA studies at Penn in 2019, she hopes to continue to work within multidisciplinary practice, where she is able to contribute to various facets of the built environment.
Haozhou Yang also came to IA from the University of Pennsylvania, and will be receiving his masters of architecture degree in December of this year. Houzhou became an integral part of IA’s tight-knit team, lending his support to different projects of varying sizes and at different phases. Haozhou really enjoyed the diversity of the firm’s project typologies , and he was excited to be able to learn Revit in such a hands-on environment. The greatest lesson he took away from working at IA is that communication is such a critical part of the design process, at every stage of a project, which is a lesson that he will carry with him throughout his career. Haozhou cited the elegant, detailed based solutions that he helped work on with the team at IA as being the most rewarding part of his time at the firm.
Enterprise for Youth Internship Program Intern – Gavin Li
Gavin Li at the IA office
For the second year in a row, INTERSTICE Architects participated in the Enterprise for Youth internship program, which empowers local youth to prepare for and discover career opportunities. Through this program, youth cultivate their individual interests and potential through training, guidance, and employment experiences in supportive and diverse environments. This summer, IA had the privilege of hosting Gavin Li, a recent graduate of Lincoln High School and who is starting as a freshman at Ohlone College this fall. As an intern this summer, Gavin was an immense help and an enthusiastic addition to the IA team. Learning about architecture while a senior at Lincoln High school, he was quickly inspired by the physical and emotional resonance of the built environment. This new found interest was enhanced further by a post-graduation trip to Greece, experiencing some of humanity’s greatest artistic and architectural achievements.
During his time at IA, Gavin’s was given first-hand experience of what it means to work in architecture – from sitting in on client and consultant meetings, going on site visits, and participating in design sessions with his coworkers. He was interested to learn that the design process is fundamentally about problem solving, and was inspired by the creative solutions that were devised in response to the whole host of challenges that inevitably arise throughout the design process. He cited our 160 Folsom Street project as a personal favorite, especially because he passes it every day on his commute and has witnessed the progress of the project firsthand.
IA Team Volunteers in the Presidio
Recently, INTERSTICE switched up their usual routine by getting outside and getting involved. They headed due north to work with Golden Gate Parks National Conservancy on a habitat restoration project in The Presidio. The project was located at Wherry Corridor, a narrow section of natural habitat threading between man-made structures. For the past 15+ years, the Golden Gate Parks National Conservancy has been nurturing this area back to a healthy landscape filled with native flora and fauna. INTERSTICE assisted with watering and weeding new growth and removing invasive plant species. Not their first volunteering project in the Presidio, INTERSTICE once again enjoyed the opportunity to improve their local habitat.
PARK(ing) Day 2017 – Mirror Mylar Forest-Field
PARK(ing) Day 2017 – Mirror Mylar Forest-Field: Pedestrian Safety Along the Polk Corridor
For Park(ing) day 2017, INTERSTICE Architects created an interactive Park(ing) Day installation on Polk Street at Hemlock Alley. Visitors experienced the wind-activated Mirrored Mylar Forest to explore questions of pedestrian safety and share their experiences of being a San Francisco pedestrian. Which spaces are prioritized for pedestrians? Where is there room for improvement?
Recording individual experiences as a pedestrian, cyclist or driver, the public was asked to register their information directly onto the installation surface. An enlarged a map of the Polk Street Corridor [built from data collected from the California Highway Patrol & highlighting pedestrian-related traffic incidents] created the “ground” for discussion. This interactive pedestrian Park(ing) map evolved throughout the day as a palimpsest that visitors could walk through – orienting themselves within the parking space, the neighborhood, and the city streets.
The installation was inspired by the Polk Streetscape Improvements recently underway and INTERSTICE’s collaboration as part of an initiative to enrich The Lower Polk Alleyways District. The new Lower Polk Alleyways Vision Plan (LPADVP) recently adopted by the Lower Polk Neighbors, proposes a future vision for the 12 blocks of alleyways located within the boundaries of the Lower Polk Neighborhood. INTERSTICE Architects guided this community-driven process which has resulted in a unique community-initiated set of strategies and guidelines designed to understand these alleyways, not as singular back-streets or isolated funding opportunities, but instead to consider them as a whole – as a District.
Alleycat Bench Fabricator Visit
We paid our fabricator a visit to see the progress being made on the prototype for our Alleycat Bench – a dynamic bench that folds down for general public use, and folds up and locks after hours. Check out some of the images from our visit!
Park Valencia at Santana Row Nearing Completion
The new Park Valencia at Santana Row is nearing completion and is now open to the public. This newly designed space provides a fun environment for all to enjoy while visiting the vibrant Santana Row District in San Jose. The playful and engaging atmosphere is made complete with large concrete chameleon sculptures, brought to life by Scientific Art Studio, based in Richmond, California. Read more about the design of the project here!
826 Valencia – Tenderloin Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
May 19th, 2016 marked the opening of the new 826 Valencia Tenderloin Center. This is the second location for the nonprofit, whose original location is at 826 Valencia in the Mission Neighborhood. The organization will bring tutoring, writing, and publishing programs to thousands of children in the Tenderloin neighborhood. The design and construction of the space features design and construction contributions from INTERSTICE, MKThink, Gensler, Jonas Kellner, Valerie Veronin, BCCI Construction Company, BBDO San Francisco, and Office.
IA was there to partake in the celebrations along with the other firms and representatives from the Mayor Ed Lee’s office, Supervisor Jane Kim, 826 Valencia Co-founders Dave Eggers and Ninive Caligari, 826 Executive Director Bita Nazarian, and hosts of other friends, supporters, and family of this incredible organization.
The 826 Valencia Tenderloin Center is located at 180 Golden Gate Avenue, formerly the home of Big Boy Market, at an intersection known for drug trafficking. “We’re excited to be joining a neighborhood with a strong network of community partners and a great need for free services, and to help the students of the Tenderloin amplify their voices through writing in a beautiful space that fosters creativity,” says 826 Valencia’s Executive Director, Bita Nazarian.
The center is fronted by King Carl’s Emporium, a nod to the beloved Pirate Supply Store at the Valencia St. location. At the Emporium, the pirate store’s original puffer fish, Carl, sells supplies for explorers as well as the wares he gathered on worldly travels. The store also sells student-written publications and serves as a gateway for the community to learn about 826 Valencia’s work. All proceeds benefit the free programs within. The Writing Lab behind the store is full of wondrous details dreamed up by the students and community members, like an indoor tree house and a magical wall of doors, that activate the imagination.
You can visit our project page to learn more about INTERSTICE’s involvement in the project, and see the SF Chronicle’s write up, “Kids and Writing and a Royal Puffer Fish in the Tenderloin“.
A crowd begins to gather for the opening of the new 826 Valencia Tenderloin Center
Awesome Octopus Mural by the wonderful team at Office
IA Principal Andrew Dunbar waiting with crowd for the ribbon cutting ceremony to begin
IA designer John Tuthill in a crown, awaiting the grand opening
King Carl’s Emporium
The Fog Bank, where you can deposit and withdraw fog instead of money.
INTERSTICE gets its own lock box in the fog bank!
826 Executive Director Bita Nazarian, presenting INTERSTICE Principals Andrew and Zoee with a thank you gift during the program
IA designers John and Steven having too much fun on the bearcycle