Working share link to your Forma project, view access for the teaching team.
Comparison matrix, one page.
Design memo of 300 to 500 words: what you read in the site, the three strategies, what the analysis said, your recommendation, and the surprise.
The site: 9th Ave & Lincoln Way, San Francisco
The site fills the east half of the block bounded by Lincoln Way, 9th Avenue, and Irving Street in the Inner Sunset (37,500 ft²). Golden Gate Park sits directly across Lincoln, and from about four stories up you can see the SF Botanical Garden. Lincoln is a busy arterial, while 9th and Irving form the neighborhood's restaurant and transit core. Most neighbors are two to four stories, so upper floors clear their roofs. The site is also exposed to cool, foggy westerly wind off the ocean. My goal is a building that could reach net zero and brings the park's nature onto the site.
Three strategies
- Proposal 1 - U-shaped courtyard: Two taller wings and a lower, stepped middle bar wrap a green courtyard above ground-floor commercial. The U opens away from Lincoln Way.
- Proposal 2 - Slab on podium: A single residential bar sits at the back of a one-story commercial podium that covers the site.
- Proposal 3 - Perimeter block: A continuous ring of housing over commercial space encloses a central courtyard.
Analysis
- Floor area: Proposal 1 delivers 106,561 ft² of GFA, 2 delivers 92,500 ft², and 3 delivers 109,475 ft². All three meet the 100,000 ± 10% ft² target.
- Sun and daylight: Every roof gets strong sun on June 21. Proposal 1's stepped middle bar and Proposal 3's courtyard corners score low on daylight potential. Proposal 2's single bar is lit evenly.
- Noise, wind, and microclimate: Proposal 2's street-facing podium takes the most noise. Proposals 1 and 3 keep their courtyard facades quiet. Wind speeds up around the building edges in all three, and the microclimate differs little between options.
- Carbon: Total carbon intensity is 20 kgCO₂e/ft² for 1, 19 for 2, and 21 for 3. Embodied carbon makes up about 75% of the total in each option.
Recommendation
I recommend Proposal 1. Its U shape turns its back to Lincoln's traffic, so the courtyard and the units facing it stay quiet, while the closed bar still looks out to the park. The open side keeps the courtyard connected to the neighborhood and lets air move through, which Proposal 3's closed ring traps. The stepped middle bar creates terraces for planting and rooftop solar, which supports the net-zero goal. Proposal 2 carries slightly less carbon, but it has the least floor area, puts its loudest face on the street, and offers no protected outdoor space. Proposal 3 adds floor area but has the most carbon and the darkest courtyard.
Surprise
I expected Proposal 3 to perform best, because a fully enclosed courtyard seemed like the strongest shelter from noise and ocean wind. The analysis showed the opposite. Its inner corners were among the darkest of all three options, and it carried the most carbon. Closing the last side of the courtyard cost light without making it noticeably quieter than Proposal 1, which confirmed my move toward the U.
Three massing images, one per proposal, from the same viewpoint.
