
SmithGroup's new Mission Bay building
You know that if a trend has hit a major office building, it’s really gone mainstream. The pixelated effect that has been seen in hip textiles and interior design is used for the glass facade on this SmithGroup project going up in Mission Bay. For people driving down Third St., it adds a bit of sparkle to the vista, reflecting the blueness of the open sky around it. Compared to the new Rafael Vinoly-designed UCSF cancer research building next to it (which Mitchell Schwarzer twitted for its blandness), it’s the sequined cocktail dress next to the Gap khakis.
“Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due”
Thanks very much for the positive comments on our CVRB project at UCSF Mission Bay. But we do need to give credit to SmithGroup’s co-design partner on this project—Jim Jennings Architecture. When opportunities for public exposure arise, we identify our team as SmithGroup with Jim Jennings Architecture. The two firms formed a truly blended design team for which the final product was the result. They are just as much a part of the “sequined cocktail dress” as SmithGroup. And, although, a dress may have not been either of our firms’ original motivation behind the glass façade, with a comparison like this, we may claim it was from this day forward!“
–William L. Diefenbach, FAIA, SmithGroup
I think the effect is great!