North Beach Office

A 1908 San Francisco building is reopened around its brick walls and heavy timber structure, with a new stair and skylight connecting two office floors.
Shared ground-floor spaces beneath the exposed timber structure.
Adam Potts

A 1908 San Francisco building is reopened around its brick walls and heavy timber structure, with a new stair and skylight connecting two office floors.
Shared ground-floor spaces beneath the exposed timber structure.
Adam Potts

Practice: MacCracken Robinson Architects
Photographer: Adam Potts
Type: Office renovation
Area: 5,500 sq ft
Existing building: 1908

The place

North Beach, San Francisco, California, United States

North Beach Office transforms a two-storey brick-and-timber building for a venture capital firm. Earlier renovations had concealed its original materials and divided the interior with partitions and suspended ceilings. MacCracken Robinson Architects reopened the spaces and reorganised the plan around the client’s work and gatherings.

A new open stair connects the floors beneath a large skylight. Exposed brick and structural timber establish the character of the interior, alongside hot-rolled steel, cedar and white oak. Three custom 3D-printed panels screen the stair and podium from the circulation ramp.

The ground floor provides space for entertaining and events. Upstairs, the plan accommodates a main conference room, open work areas, private offices and a small gym. Gachot Studios provided interior design, with construction by Rod Heisler Construction and project management by Brodie Construction Management.