In 1998 PG&G signed an agreement to retire it’s 70-year-old power plant that had been operating since 1939 to help meet the needs of the growing city of San Francisco. The ensuing decommissioning and removal of the plant created a unique opportunity to revitalize a community and turn a site of heavy industry into a vibrant part of San Francisco.
In recent years, amid San Francisco’s housing crisis, new developments have been built along its southern waterfront, and conversations about gentrification, displacement, and spatial justice have intensified. We were invited to design an electrical substation in Hunters Point with the aim to open a public dialogue about issues facing residents, city planners, developers, and architects — issues that affect the well-being of this area as well as anyone living with a legacy of environmental inequality and racism.
The urban strategy and analysis were distilled into a “Wheel of Life”: a specifically designed planning tool to help categorize and reveal the interdependence between activities that are often viewed as compartmentalized entities. The four pillars of the Wheel are living, knowledge, production, and strength, which were then further subdivided in relation to the built environment and programmatic activities. The masterplan introduces a new way of designing and creating by prioritizing habitability, identifying the key features of each space, and designing the programs needed for this community-driven project.
