A former military base becomes a substation with public amenities

On the site of a former military base in the Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco, a new three-story substation will house critical electrical infrastructure to replace an existing substation across the street. The new substation will improve the reliability and resilience of the electrical grid “and foster a tighter-knit community,” according to a press statement.

But the Hunters Point Substation will do more than meet the utility’s practical needs. Designed by San Francisco’s TEF Design and Mexico City’s Tatiana Bilbao Estudio, the project also will provide public amenities designed through community engagement—part of an urban architecture trend of designing public utility structures with community amenities.

The project is part of a larger development that includes several planned parks and trails. The 30,000-square-foot building is positioned to support efficient utility configuration as well as to create an outdoor plaza that will serve the surrounding neighborhood. The building team used computational fluid dynamics to develop the building’s stacked-bars form, achieving maximum thermal efficiency.

The building’s form is also intended to create a distinctive landmark. Its concrete façade, which will involve a precast concrete process, is meant to suggest rammed earth. A pattern of geometric shapes continues throughout the project, including the plaza pavers and façade perforations.

The Hunters Point Substation aims to be net-zero, achieving Zero Energy Certification by the International Living Future Institute. Its energy strategies include photovoltaics, natural ventilation, and efficient building systems. The project is expected to be completed by fall 2023.

On the Building Team:
Owner: PG&E
Architect of record: TEF Design
Design architect: Tatiana Bilbao Estudio
Landscape: Creo Landscape Architecture
Mechanical/electrical: MHC Engineers, Inc. and ACG Engineer Inc.
Civil engineer: BKF Engineers
Structural engineer: Forell Elsesser Engineers, Inc.

Hunters Point Substation collage ext 2 — Courtesy Tatiana Bilbao Estudio.

Hunters Point Substation model 1 — Courtesy Tatiana Bilbao Estudio.

Hunters Point Substation model 2 — Courtesy Tatiana Bilbao Estudio.

Hunters Point Substation model 3 — Courtesy Tatiana Bilbao Estudio.

Hunters Point Substation model 4 — Courtesy Tatiana Bilbao Estudio.

Since early 2020, Americans have been forced to sequester themselves in their homes with outdoor activities, in most cases, being the sole respite for social distancing. And many of people are going back to the basics with a quintessential outdoor activity: biking. Bike sales absolutely skyrocketed during the pandemic, growing by 69% in 2020.

Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021

Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]

New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.

Nelson Mandela Park green space in Rotterdam

Urban Planning | May 3, 2021

SWA/Balsley unveils Nelson Mandela Park Master Plan for Rotterdam

The conceptual plan provides much-needed central neighborhood and civic open space in the city’s South Maashaven district.

The Weekly Show, Apr 29, 2021: COVID-19's impact on campus planning, and bird management strategies

University Buildings | Apr 29, 2021

The Weekly Show, April 29, 2021: COVID-19's impact on campus planning, and bird management strategies

This week on The Weekly show, BD+C Senior Editor John Caulfield interviews a duo of industry experts on 1) how campus planning has changed during the pandemic and 2) managing bird infestations on construction sites and completed buildings.