2017 Best of Design for Urban Design

March 7, 2019
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Civil Engineer: Sherwood Design Engineers
Location: San Francisco

Embodying a commitment to sustainable placemaking, the India Basin project proposes the transformation of acres of overgrown former industrial land on the San Francisco Bay into an active waterfront destination and a vibrant, diverse village. The comprehensive design reconnects surrounding communities with the shoreline, cultivates economic opportunities, and provides mixed-income housing. The mixed-use project creates a complete community at a human scale, with all basic services and amenities located within short walking distance. It interweaves parks, plazas, and open space with new pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly connections, as well as buildings for residential, commercial, and community-serving purposes.

The design also embraces the existing ecology of the land with a robust stormwater management strategy, designed by Sherwood Design Engineers, that links streetscape streams and bioswales (landscape elements that remove silt from runoff water) with a landscape of canals, reservoirs, and wetlands.