This adaptive reuse of a brick and timber structure in San Francisco’s SoMA neighborhood reclaims the building’s original character by exposing the rich materiality of brick, timber, steel, glass, and concrete while introducing a new lightness through both material intervention and spatial composition. The existing brick and timber were carefully sandblasted to reveal their warmth and texture, as refurbished skylights punctuate the timber ceiling to bring in daylight, complemented by a large glass and steel service door that introduces additional light and vehicular access. A steel-framed mezzanine, independently supported on its own foundation and lateral system to respect the existing structure’s recent seismic upgrade, expands the interior from 8,000 to 11,000 square feet, accommodating two glass-enclosed conference rooms, executive offices, and an open work area, all floating above the open-plan space and enhancing the project’s interplay between historic
fabric and contemporary insertion.