Foster + Partners is set to give San Francisco’s landmark Transamerica Tower its biggest overhaul in the building’s 50-year history. The US$250 million scheme for developer SHVO, which bought the site in 2020, will revitalise the famous 260-meter-tall pyramid-shaped tower designed by William Pereira and completed in 1972.
Foster + Partners was selected by the developer following an invited competition including Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and David Chipperfield Architects. As well as overhauling the interiors of the landmark 48-story downtown block, the project will also revamp the areas around its base.
This includes expanding Redwood Park, almost doubling the size of the neighboring office buildings – Two Transamerica (505 Sansome Street) and Three Transamerica (545 Sansome Street) – and better integrating the tower into the local area by opening up its ground floors to the public. The initial revamp of the tower itself is expected to take a year to complete, with further approvals needed for the expansion of the nearby office blocks.
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