San Francisco, CA

1033 Polk Street is a historic building preserved as the base of a new contrasting tower. The historic building is a typical two story concrete frame building with glass infill. The tower is opposite – a glass curtain wall with projections of solid balconies.
The tower houses residential units, two per floor for the lower floors, and larger penthouse units at the top. The historic base is commercial space.
The general context of Polk Street are masonry buildings with punched openings. The new tower is inverted as a glass building with projecting solid balconies, in a similar rhythm.