advertisement advertisement After more than a decade of planning, the first stage of San Francisco’s new transit hub is almost complete. The new Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects-designed Salesforce Transit Center, which spans several blocks in downtown San Francisco, will bring together 11 bus lines and eventually trains from around the Bay Area, organizing the city’s sprawling public transportation system. But all attention over the weekend was on the hub’s rooftop park, which opened to the public August 11. advertisement advertisement The 5.4-acre Salesforce Transit Center Park, which occupies the entire roof of the transit center, is one of the largest stretches of greenery to open in San Francisco in years. It brings much-needed public, open space to a newly named neighborhood called the East Cut, a dense, heavily commercial area of the city that has few parks. The park has a public plaza that also connects via a skybridge to the fifth floor of the Salesforce Tower next door, along with an amphitheater, lawns, and botanical gardens. Designed by PWP Landscape Architecture, which codesigned the 9/11 memorial plaza in New York, the park is similar to a number of other urban parks that seek to use green space to offset the carbon footprint of their cities and make them more livable. But this park is unique for effecting more sweeping change. When PWP Landscape Architecture won the design competition in 2007, the firm proposed using gray water from an accompanying skyscraper to irrigate the entire park by cleaning it through a wetland garden. At the time, this was against plumbing code in San Francisco: Gray water was not legal to use in any commercial projects. But PWP Landscape Architecture, Pelli Clarke Pelli, and several other collaborators worked with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to successfully change the rules by pointing to Berkeley across the bay, which already allowed the use of gray water in residential projects. The transit hub park opened the floodgates for other commercial projects to use gray water. advertisement<doc-sep>Update: After cracks were discovered on steel beams inside the structure shortly after opening, the Transit Center and Salesforce Park have been closed until further notice. After 20 years of planning, nearly a decade of construction, and one multimillion dollar rebranding, the Transbay Transit Center—and its sprawling 5.4-acre rooftop park—will open to the public Saturday. Stretching nearly three blocks between Beale and Second streets in the newfangled East Cut neighborhood, the $2.26 billion sleeping giant is the city’s newest icon. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the Transit Center gives you a feeling that something special is about to happen, like a party where every San Franciscan is welcome. The excitement and anticipation is something that Salesforce Tower and the new SFMOMA expansion failed to deliver, despite their highly hyped designs—at face value, a bulging appendage and a glacier, respectively. “It’s a miracle,” said architect Fred Clarke about the new hub. “Is that the appropriate word?” While a handful of naysayers wrung their hands over the gleaming behemoth (decrying it as everything from a glorified bus stop to a waste of money), they missed the mark: the Transit Center, which serves as both a daily transit depot and a destination spot, is meant for denizens to use, not only to be looked at in awe from a distance. Bounded by newly sprouted high rises such as Park Tower and 181 Fremont, the Transit Center finds itself inadvertently surrounded by some of the big names in tech—Slack and iShares, for example—who are proudly, and perhaps a touch desperately, flaunting branding in windows with a full view of the recreational rooftop. Spanning more than three blocks, the Transit Center is a nurturing presence. Its lush lawns and single-person benches beckon stressed-out worker drones to hang out for a while, walk barefoot in the grass, grab a bite, and chill. Design The entire shebang measures approximately 1.2 million square feet and spreads out across six levels—four levels above ground and two below. The ground level will service several Muni bus lines; the bus deck level on the second floor will host regional bus service extending beyond the city, and the show-stopping park level is found on the top floor. The below-ground concourse level and train platform level, neither of which are completed, will be for retail and the impending Caltrain service (by 2028) and—fingers crossed—the California High-Speed Rail. The most striking aspect about the project, next to its curb appeal and its rooftop park, is the natural light and long views inside the grand hall. There’s nothing cloistered about this new space. Three skylights, which punctuate at park level, draw daytime light into the core of the building. Lighting will be completely shut off in most of the Transit Center during off-peak hours. “Inspiration came from nature,” said Fred Clarke, senior principal at Pelli Clarke Pelli, “and all of the culture, from art to mathematics, found in the Bay Area.” The curtain wall A whopping 3,992 perforated white aluminum panels, which feature a geometrical pattern, make up the exterior. It measures 3,000 feet long at 44 feet tall. “It’s a rather pleasant design, isn’t it?” said mathematician and physicist Sir Roger Penrose at a pre-opening symposium discussing his work, underselling his revelatory geometrical rhombus pattern he discovered in the 1970s. The mini bridge Not only here to provide form, this mini eastern span Bay Bridge replica, which boasts a pylon with support cables that can be seen from Howard Street, functions as the access point for buses heading into and returning from the East Bay. Art From the terrazzo floor featuring flora and butterflies in earthy hues to scrolling all-caps messages illuminated on the second floor, the Transit Center has lassoed esteemed artists who have put their thumbprints inside the behemoth. Secret Garden by Julie Chang, which spans nearly 20,000 square feet, can be found on the Grand Hall’s floors. Her illustrations of California poppies, jewel-toned hummingbirds, and butterfly cutouts will find their way into many Instagram accounts over the next few years. Jenny Holzer’s White Light, which can be seen from the Fremont Street entrance, features scrolling LED text that wraps around the elliptical glass enclosure of the Grand Hall. Her text messages, such as “Protect me from what I want” and “Abuse of power comes as no surprise,” were composed using text from historical archives from authors who wrote about the Bay Area, as well as documents and records on the construction of the Bay Bridge and the original Timothy Pflueger-designed Transbay Terminal. : Jenny Holzer’s “White Light” inside the new Salesforce Transit Center. pic.twitter.com/8KeAoTO3t9 — Brock Keeling (@BrockKeeling) August 4, 2018 Found in Shaw Alley, Parallel Light Fields by James Carpenter consists a series of illuminated benches that interact with natural light from above. Bus Fountain by Ned Kahn: The 1000-foot-long is a series of water jets that curve along most of the north side of the park, are triggered by sensors that clock the movement of the buses on the level below. Can I ride the gondola? No, not until it’s completed in September. The Salesforce-sponsored aerial tram, found at Mission and Fremont Streets, will be in operation later this year. It can hold 20 passengers, but won’t be as effective for reaching the rooftop park compared to the 10 access points located throughout the transit center. What transit services are offered? The first floor offers Muni bus service via the 5-Fulton, 5-Fulton Rapid, 7-Haight-Noriega, 38-Geary, and 38R-Geary Rapid. The third floor hosts the 25-Treasure Island, AC Transit, WestCAT, and Greyhound regional bus service. The bottom floor will eventually harbor Caltrain, which is expected to be done by 2028, and the ambitious California High-Speed Rail project, which will connect Los Angeles and San Francisco. Wi-Fi? Yes, free wi-fi is available. Let’s talk about the park While the nuts and bolts of the center involve the transit terminuses, the 11 o’clock number here is the 5.4-acre rooftop park, designed by Berkeley’s PWP Landscape Architecture, that gilds the pragmatic transportation rumblings below. Fears about the park turning into a sterile and isolating experience—the numerous amount of single-person seating snaking around the park raised some eyebrows—should be put to rest. There’s grass on which park goers are expected to walk, roll around, and picnic. “It’s meant to be used and used often,” said Dennis Turchon, Senior Construction Manager for the Transbay Joint Powers Authority. “It’s not just for show. This is a public park. This is a message I want to make very clear.” If lollygagging isn’t your thing, this part is a boon for fitness types who will jump at the chance to walk or jog length of the .55-mile walking path around the rooftop park. There’s also an amphitheater—which is on the western side and will be used for performances—and over 200 species of plants and trees to discover around the park. Even the aforementioned Kahn-designed fountain, triggered by the moving buses below, is user-friendly. Kids and adults alike are welcome to play in the spouting water when the weather heats up. How to get to the park There are 10 access points to the park. Connections include two bridges from nearby towers (181 Fremont and Salesforce Tower), an aerial tram from Mission Street that’s scheduled to open in September, four elevators, and three escalators. What are the park’s hours? Salesforce Park will be open to the public from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. from November to April and 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. from May to October. Are dogs allowed? Only service pets are allowed. Security In addition to San Francisco Police Officers from the Southern Station, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority has hired private security firm to add an extra layer of surveillance. There will also be ambassadors sporting official jackets to answer visitors’ queries. “They’re like Walmart greeters,” said Turchon. What’s the plan with food and retail? Still in the planning stages, with only five leases signed so far, there are 34 storefronts available in and outside the Transit Center. Expect cafes (local and a venti-sized national chain), a health club, and more. The park-level restaurant has yet to announce an official tenant. In the meantime, expect pop-up eateries to grace the spot. Sports and music? Only permitted events and/or concerts are allowed. Good for kids? Yes, there’s a dedicated children’s play space at park level. Events? Look forward to a myriad of events ranging from poetry readings and fitness classes to music concerts and other artistic endeavors. Is it open? Open and ready.<doc-sep>
San Francisco’s Transbay Transit Center began its first day of regular service with shrugs from bus riders and rave reviews for the rooftop park. “I think it’s super great, cool and fun,” announced Miles Sckolnick, 4, a declaration accompanied by eager nods from his sister Elizabeth and their friend June Tenney, both 7. “Everything is super cool!” The three charged up a small grassy hill near the center of the 5.4-acre green space and clambered across the roped netting of the lone play structure. They chased the rippling spurts from the 1,300-foot-long fountain designed by Sebastopol artist Ned Kahn, a water feature triggered by movement of buses below. The fountain was the only link between most first-day visitors and the reason that the lush park exists: It sits atop a $2.16 billion facility intended to improve bus service from the East Bay and, someday, serve as the terminus for trains arriving underground from Silicon Valley and points south. Sunday, however, fewer than a dozen buses per hour were pulling into the third-floor bus deck that includes a direct ramp from the Bay Bridge. The new station stretches nearly three blocks between Second and Beale streets just south of Mission Street, and is wrapped in undulating curves of perforated white aluminum. Now in business The rooftop park at Salesforce Transit Center is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Bus service to and from the transit center is provided by AC Transit, WestCAT, Muni and Greyhound, with links to SamTrans and Golden Gate Transit. See More Collapse The first bus from Oakland arrived shortly before 6 a.m., packed with transit aficionados and greeted by confetti, coffee and pastries. But by 8 a.m. the mood was businesslike — and most riders coming off buses were more focused on getting to work than pausing to savor the surroundings. “I didn’t pay much attention. What bothers me is that the new station is inconvenient for the (Muni) buses,” said Aaron Carter, who stepped off an AC Transit bus on his way downstairs to catch Muni and head west to his job as a janitor. In the new station, Muni buses traveling surface streets turn right from a protected boarding area onto Fremont Street — an artery often gridlocked in the morning commute. Because of that, Carter said, “Nah, I’m not impressed.” More enthusiastic was Derek Tillotson, a Treasure Island resident who walks to work from the transit center: “It looks different, and it looks nice because it’s brand-new,” he said. “I’ve been walking past this for years, and it’s been interesting to see it slowly come up.” Construction began in 2011, after demolition of the Transbay Terminal that had occupied the then-remote site since 1938. Now it’s the south edge of the Financial District, flanked by towers. Three are occupied by Salesforce, the tech firm that will pay at least $110 million over the next 25 years to help fund the center’s operations, maintenance and security. The sponsorship agreement is the reason the publicly funded structure’s official name is Salesforce Transit Center. For bus patrons with time to look around, the new surroundings met their approval. “It reminds me of modern rail stations in Berlin and Europe,” said John Grunstad, who lives in Emeryville and helps manage safety boats for the Dolphin Club. “The open (aluminum) siding is nice, and the space doesn’t feel crowded or cramped or gloomy.” After Grunstad checked out the rooftop park, he was even more impressed. “This makes me very happy,” he said, smiling. “If you’re going to spend a lot of (public) money, do it for something like this that people will enjoy.” The test for the bus deck comes Monday. Only three AC Transit trans-bay bus lines run on the weekend, instead of 27. And those lines operate only once or twice an hour — rather than three or four times, as can be the case during peak workday commutes. The bus deck also is the final stop for three Muni buses from Treasure Island per hour on weekends, compared with as many as six each hour on weekdays. But even the less-frequent bus service was enough to keep Kahn’s fountain in action and park patrons entertained. Laura Graffman, who comes from Oakland each weekend to join friends in the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors, visited the park on Sunday before heading to Pier 40. “This really is something,” Graffman said. “I’m not a big fan of these big buildings around it.