Linea
Linea, with 115 residential units, was designed in response to the immediate context and multilayered complexities of the Hayes Valley section of San Francisco. The building rides a sharp corner between Market and Buchanan Streets with a cluster of boxlike forms, stacked and interlocking, pushing out from the triangular property, enlivening the street, and creating a more user-friendly sense of community.
Linea faces the long straightaway of Market Street, with 5,700 SF of retail shopping. A grid of exaggerated steel framing is broken up by arrhythmic variations that help to diminish the bulk of the nine-story structure. (An irregularly shaped courtyard opens up the center of the complex, bringing natural light and interior views to the rear of every apartment.) The building opens up and comes to life as it turns onto Buchanan Street, a much narrower one-way incline. Some sections push forward, while others collide, intersect, or step back in an interchange of prismatic volumes that energize the bend with recessed terraces and projecting overhangs.
