Chavez Roof Terrace
Date: 2021 – 2022
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Program: Communal Roof Terrace and Garden
Area: 2,235 ft² (207 m²)
Site Area: 2,235 ft² (207 m²)
Client: Private Building Ownership Group
Project Team: Juke Jose, Pak Siu
Photography: Haddock Studio
Atop a prominent 1920’s built former Sears Building in San Francisco, which was converted into a mixed-use commercial, residential and municipal building many decades ago, is a new roof terrace and garden accessible to all tenants of the building. This large pedestal raised deck is arranged with an idea of soft privacy spacing to allow many different people or groups to use the space all at once, either together or more individually.
There are different zones each of which is divided loosely from the next by plants, furniture or circulation. There’s a shaded trellis over a long communal table, a large concrete triangle countertop spanning three areas including an outdoor-kitchen with a grill and sink, a bar height seating planter, a big planter platform and bench for higher views and an exercise space, as well as various sized round concrete tables. All of these elements are custom made for this space with an industrial and organic nature to them in tune with the industrial nature of the rooftop as well as using a very durable material pallet - as the space is used by many people.
The overall layout of the terrace is a response to the urban scale of the site, as it’s situated at the converging corner of two different city grids coming together. The roof terrace layout reconciles these blocks meeting by overlapping the two grid orientations and selectively using the differing angles to create a flow of circulation and spacing, accented by directionless round tables. This roof plan is further defined by various planter types and sizes that hold a mixture of different gardens in them, such as a vegetable garden, succulent garden, vine planters, potted plant holders, etc. All of which hopefully gives a diversity of spaces to enjoy when people head to the roof.
