SF New Developments

courtesy Heller-Manus

San Francisco Business Times - April 21, 2006

by J.K. Dineen

Among the two dozen housing projects in the Mission Bay pipeline, Intracorp“s Arterra development will not offer the most stunning views or the swankiest finishes, the highest prices or the best location. But it will likely be the kindest to the environment. Seattle-based Intracorp broke ground this week on a $80 million, 268-unit complex at 300 Berry St., a project on route to becoming San Francisco”s first highrise condominium community given the coveted U.S. Green Building Council”s seal of approval — LEED certification, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. While green building is creating a huge buzz in the development community, LEED certification is considered a difficult and time-consuming process. In San Francisco, only a handful of commercial buildings are LEED certified, and the most high-profile, the new federal building under construction on Mission Street, is more than a year behind schedule and over budget. Nationwide, only 18 residential highrises have received certification, mostly on college campuses, and 134 have registered to become LEED-certified.

Green evolution

The three-level complex will be the first San Francisco building clad in Trespa, smooth and colorful panels produced with recycled materials. It will have natural coastal grass-covered roofs on parts of the fourth, sixth, and tenth floors, a high thermal insulation glazing system with operable windows and a water-efficient landscape design. Interiors will be built with rapid renewal materials, like bamboo and cork, and energy-efficient appliances. Jeffrey Stahl, a vice president with project architect Kwan Henmi, said that the development team did not consciously set out with the goal of LEED certification. But as the design matured, it became clear it would feature enough environmentally friendly component that LEED certification was possible. “From an architecture point of view it makes so much sense, because we were doing it already,” said Sylvia Kwan, chairwoman of Kwan Henmi. Michael McCone, vice president of development for Intracorp, said the environmentalism was driven by both idealism and economics. Arterra will be heavily marketed as green alternative to the dozen other high-rise condo projects hitting the market this year. Early marketing materials use slogans like “clean design, pure living” and call it a “pioneering green building of sophisticated design.” “We all believe there is a monetary purpose, but it”s also just smart design,” he said. “We”re excited to present this product to San Francisco and feel it”s going to very well-received.” With 6,000 units planned for Mission Bay, Arterra will have plenty of competition. Thus far 1,084 units have been completed and another 1,465 — including Arterra — are under construction in eight different projects. Arterra will offer smaller units that other Mission Bay construction, ranging from 608 to 1,345 square feet, with an average unit size of 862 square feet. Together with the LEED certification, Intracorp is betting that Arterra will stand out. [more]