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
Point Pacific Apartments in Bayview reaches Completion!
The Pacific Point Apartments, located in the Hunters Point Shipyard in Bayview, is now complete! In partnership with David Baker Architects, INTERSTICE Architects served as the associate architect and landscape architect for the project. The apartment complex, which is the first 100% affordable housing development in the new Hunters View Shipyard Hilltop development was designed for families and features 60 rental units ranging from one-to three-bedrooms.
You can learn more about the project on our Project Page, but check out some of the latest images, courtesy of David Baker Architects, below.
826 Valencia – Tenderloin Center Undergoing Construction
Construction is under way on the 826 Valencia Tenderloin Center. Located on the corner of Leavenworth and Golden Gate in the heart of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, INTERSTICE Architects, along with an energetic team of contractors, suppliers, and other professionals is working with 826 Valencia to create their new space, supporting under-resourced students in developing their creative and expository writing skills and help teachers to inspire their students to write.
The large, two story brick building was built in 1908 and has lived many lives from carriage workshop, movie film storage and distribution, and popcorn maker and supplier. IA is in charge of completely overhauling the façade, systems and interiors of the ground floor corner. Read more about the project on the INTERSTICE Architects project page.
Recent construction updates include the completion of the electric rough ins, and the installation of the heating and cooling system. The contractors have also added additional columns and beams to the space to make it structurally safer, though the landlord claimed that the building survived the ’89 earthquake without damage. Stay tuned for more construction updates on the project, which is slated for completion in early 2016.
Photos courtesy of 826 Valencia // Jonas Kellner
PARK(ing) Day 2015 at INTERSTICE
On Friday, September 18th, the parking spot outside of the INTERSTICE office on Sutter Street in San Francisco was dominated by the presence of inflatable dancing tube men, or “Air Dancers” in celebration of Parking Day.
These Air Dancers were quite simply, the most hilarious, exuberant objects conceivable and brought joy, laughter, and awe to those who encountered them. INTERSTICE laid out a large area of turf and bright yellow chairs between the Air Dancers for passersby to share in some laughs and respite along the busy street.
IA has established a tradition of participating in the PARK(ing) Day festivities, 2015 being our 9th year celebrating the event. Sharing in PARK(ing) Day’s call to action for more urban public spaces, this year’s installation demonstrates the joy that can come from such environments. Check out our previous post for a history of IA’s Park(ing) Day celebrations.
INTERSTICE Designs interactive furnishings for the San Francisco Street Food Festival 2015
This year the SFSFF is at Forest City’s Pier 70 on the SF waterfront. Now in our sixth year of partnership with La Cocina, INTERSTICE Architects designed and led the volunteer construction effort to reanimate thousands of shipping palettes and recycled plywood to create banquettes, serpentine benches, bars and entire islands for stage seating, eating, socializing, dining and drinking at this year’s fabulous three day event hosting the festival’s growing popularity and fan base.
Personally and professionally, INTERSTICE Architects create from an immersed point of view with a deep commitment to the ephemeral urban experience. We strive to explore the potential of communities through their appropriation of urban space, and enhancing the connection between San Francisco’s food culture with the greater community through design by using unconventional materials to create inventive forms. This festival and its important contribution to the Non Profit La Cocina – an inspiring woman centered entrepreneurial kitchen incubator is a perfect venue for our dual disciplinary focus.
La Cocina is a groundbreaking food business incubator that has serving the Bay Area since 2005. Their mission is to cultivate low income food entrepreneurs as they formalize and grow their business by providing affordable kitchen space, industry specific technical assistance and access to market opportunities.
Come support and celebrate La Cocina’s fantastic efforts by joining us in enjoying all of the food at the San Francisco Street Food Festival! And relax on the islands of giant street scale furnishings that we developed for the ephemeral event. – before they all go back to being shipping pallets again next week!
Pier 70, near the corner of 22nd Street and Illinois Street, in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco’s bayside waterfront.
Preparation underway for the SF Street Food Festival
Andrew Dunbar, "How to Succeed in Architecture" Panelist
Our Principal and co-founder, Andrew Dunbar, will be one of four panelists for Novedge’s live Google+ Hangout on the topic of “How to Succeed in Architecture: Third Places – The Architecture of Sharing”.
In keeping with the theme of “Home” for the SF Architecture and the City festival, Novedge will lead this discussion on the topic of “Third Places”, or how we create innovative “homes” in our public environments through opportunities to eat, exercise, engage and collaborate.
Tune in on September 4th at 11am. More information can be found here: http://www.novedge.com/how-to-succeed-in-architecture/Third-Places-The-Architecture-of-Sharing/
Architecture is invention. Oscar Niemeyer
Park-a-licious: The Ultimate Public Bubble! PARK(ING) DAY 2013
YOU’RE INVITED!!!
Please come and join
INTERSTICE Architects for PARK(ING) Day 2013 this Friday, September 20th in front of Tacolicious, 11a – 5p
at our installation: “Park-a-licious: The Ultimate Public Bubble!”
We’re going bubblicious, inflating inhabitable bubbles!
…for our PARK(ING) Day installation at 741 Valencia Street.
Come share a tasty taco with the IA team in the bubbles!
INTERSTICE Architects Installs the SF SFF / La Cocina Night Market
INTERSTICE Architects is thrilled to support La Cocina and participate in our 4th annual Street Food Festival!
This year we designed and installed a 300-foot-long sinuous bench, called the INTERSTICE banqu(ette), which meanders down the center of the San Francisco Street Food Festival’s second annual Night Market.
Over 500 pallets were zip-tied together to form an interlocking, modular lounge furnishing and bar-table kiosks with heat-lamps for people to gather, eat and celebrate the Market.
With 6 different global regions of foods represented, the Night Market is an opportunity for San Franciscans to taste the best the world has to offer, all prepared and sold by local vendors. The benches are color coded by global region and display way-finding signage also by INTERSTICE. Local artists painted the coverings for the seats.
This is the launch party for the San Francisco Street Food Festival, which spans 6 blocks along Folsom Street between 20th and 26th Streets.
Check out the team at work!
INTERSTICE's design in action
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- INTERSTICE’s design in action
Mission House Published in West Coast Modern
We’re pleased to announce that the Mission house has been published in West Coast Modern – a new architectural monograph by Zahid Sardar featuring “Breathtaking home designs that fit perfectly into the unique landscape of the West.” The book features work by offices such as Aiden Darling, Tom Kundig, Steven Ehrlich, and other notable names from California and the rest of the West Coast. San Francisco Live/Work – aka the Mission House – is on page 124 – the book is available for purchase on Amazon.
Saratoga Beach House Featured in The Province
We’re pleased to share that the Saratoga Beach House was published in The Province! The article recounts the construction and design of the newly completed home, including interviews with its owner and Andrew Dunbar of IA. You can read the article online.