40 for 40: South of Market Health Center - 2003

 

Californians dub newly-elected Arnold Schwarzenegger the “Governator” as the US starts the longest war in post-9/11 history with a “shock and awe” campaign consisting of massive air strikes on military targets in Iraq.  Helping to distract and entertain us, Americans flock to see a dazzling new computer animated film from Pixar--“Finding Nemo,” a heart-rending tale about a fish in search of its long-lost offspring.  Meanwhile, Johnny Depp swaggers as Captain Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl,” as Beyoncé hits the top of the charts with “Dangerously in Love.”

In 2003, South of Market Health Center (SOMHC) completed a rehab of its medical and dental clinic with help from AND’s architecture services.  Located in the heart of SoMa, SOMHC was originally created to serve low-income inner-city residents, many of whom were homeless or lived in SROs on nearby 6^th St.’s skid row.  Founded in 1973 by community members with help from the City’s Dept. of Public Health, SOMHC provided comprehensive health care for the underserved with dignity, compassion and cultural sensitivity. 

AND worked with SOMHC staff in renovating the existing two-story building to provide needed security and to meet privacy regulations required by federal law.  We also upgraded lab and exam rooms and created a warmer, more welcoming space for clientele and staff.

Ground floor reception areas were completely revamped with a redesign of the front desk area to improve the waiting room experience while accommodating computer terminals and increased filing and storage capacity.  Low security doors gave staff better control over patient admissions, while maintaining visual connections between spaces. Hallways and other spaces were redone to create a calming ambiance.

The second floor dental and women's clinic received similar enhancements.  A brand new reception area and office were built.  AND designed new dental exam and lab rooms to be more accessible, while new equipment and modern finishes improved usability and appearance. 

In 2011, SOMHC reached a milestone with the opening of a new home in Westbrook Plaza, a joint project with Mercy Housing California.  The development, just blocks away from its original clinic, included a state-of-the-art facility and 49 units of affordable family housing.  AND is honored to be a part of SOMHC’s history, helping fulfill its mission to provide quality health care to San Francisco’s most vulnerable.

40 for 40: EBALDC Early Years - 1975

 

Among the major events of 1975 were the official end of the Vietnam War and the birth of Microsoft.  Folks were ‘Kung Fu Fighting” and doin' the “Hustle” in discos; then going to the movies to be terrified by “Jaws” and “Towering Inferno” (partially shot in the City).  On the small screen, a new sketch comedy show called “Saturday Night Live” launched and Muhammad Ali beat Joe Fraser in the "Thrilla in Manila" match.

Now in its third year of existence, AND was a volunteer-based nonprofit working with many other fledgling community-based organizations (CBOs), providing much needed services and resources.  AND had no permanent place of its own and meetings were conducted at homes of AND members.

We became involved in a variety of projects such as developing a new park in San Francisco Chinatown; graphics and painting assistance for CBOs; activities such as Nihonmachi Street Fair, Chinatown Community Health Fair and the Hop Jok Fair.

One project in particular was the genesis of a landmark community resource center in a historic building in Oakland’s Chinatown.  Now known as the Asian Resource Center (ARC), it was the first home to East Bay Asian Local Development Corp. (EBALDC), Asian Health Services, Filipinos for Affirmative Action (now Filipino Advocates for Justice), more recently Asian Pacific Environmental Network and others.  With roots in community organizing, EBALDC acquired and developed an underutilized warehouse in Oakland Chinatown from Lyon Storage & Moving Co. for adaptive reuse and renovation.  This became the first multi-service center housing Asian-American social services and businesses.

The vision for the elegant 1924 terra cotta structure was for the community, instead of outside developers, to renovate and restore it.  The hope was for all the organizations located there to share and consolidate resources (like meeting rooms, photocopiers, staff), promote positive interaction among each other, create activities of common interest, provide a central information clearinghouse and together, with strength in numbers, empower the target populations they served.

AND was involved with these early efforts as a community liaison with the team directing the renovation, shaping the vision and creating needed programs.  AND volunteers saw the importance of such a center as having a broader impact beyond Oakland Chinatown.

“Multi-service is thus a social, political and economic concept for community action. It is not just an architectural solution to a problem.” -- Andy Gee, AND co-founder

Today, ARC continues to serve residents throughout the East Bay/SF Bay Area and houses nonprofit agencies, retail businesses, medical facilities and the Asian Resource Art Gallery.  AND is proud to have been a part of this ground-breaking model for collective self-development and community engagement.

40 for 40: Friendship House American Indian Healing Center - 2005

It was in 2005 that Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, creating an enormous swath of devastation along the Gulf Coast, flooding the historic city of New Orleans and causing the death of thousands.  American families turn to the movies to watch an animated film about zoo animals in the wild in “Madagascar,” while Star Wars fans enjoyed “Star Wars Part III - Revenge of the Sith” centering on the origin of Darth Vader.

With Executive Director Helen Waukazoo of Association of American Indians, Inc., AND celebrated the grand opening of Friendship House American Indian Healing Center.  For the project, located in the Mission District, AND created a mixed-use building with a licensed residential care facility for 40 women and 40 men in recovery (almost tripling its previous capacity); administrative offices and community spaces including a multi-purpose "great hall" used for classrooms, computer training, counseling, celebrations and a commercial kitchen.  Interior light is provided with a light court connecting the sky to the ground floor hall's pyramid skylight.  The landscaped courtyard also incorporates other cultural elements with a sweat lodge and indigenous Native American plants.

The design of the building integrates cultural elements of the "four winds" with the courtyard's entry gate facing east on the west-east axis acknowledging the east facing (sunrise) location of Native American hogans.  The circle (symbolic for earth/medicine wheel/wheel of life) is integrated into the courtyard as a sitting/gathering area as well as an integral curve at the building's entry, which lies along the south to north axis from the center of the circle.  The four winds are represented in the colors red, white, black and yellow in the wall and floor tiles of the community restroom facilities throughout the facility.  Each floor’s use is articulated in the exterior materials (cement plaster for community uses), second and third floors (horizontal siding) and the fourth floor (board siding and vertical battens). 

Additional exterior symbolism includes struts supporting the roof overhang representing Native American stick architecture and the curved element at the Julian Ave. entrance with dual symbolism of "uplift" for recovery and an abstraction for the Native American bow.  Ground floor display cases facing the street are incorporated for artwork and community announcements.   Earth tones complete the facade.  Friendship House added painted arrowheads at the ground floor exterior and interior decorative bands representing different tribes at the great hall and conference areas. 

AND is gratified to be part of this landmark development, joining our long lineage of health care projects for underserved communities.  An SF Chronicle article highlighted the new facility, calling it the "Red Road to Sobriety."  For more information about the recovery program for Native Americans in urban environments, see www.friendshiphousesf.org/program.html.

40 FOR 40: 555 ELLIS FAMILY APTS. - 1995

“Toy Story,” the first ever full-length computer-generated movie—created by the Bay Area’s own Pixar Studios--was released, cementing characters Buzz Lightyear and Woody as icons of American pop culture.  Coolio had a hit with “Gangsta’s Paradise” for the movie of the same name, and wedding music was changed forever as the country went “Macarena”-crazy with the dance song by Los del Rio.

In 1995, AND designed and developed the $4.5 million 555 Ellis Family Apts. project jointly with San Francisco Network Ministries. Constructed on one of the last undeveloped parcels in the Tenderloin, 555 Ellis provided much-needed family housing while improving quality of life in the neighborhood.  Located at 555 Ellis St., the complex featured 38 units of new construction for low-income seniors and families.  The 4-story, stucco, wood frame structure over a 1-story concrete podium was designed to reflect the Bay Area Regional Style, complementing the surrounding area.  Fostering a sense of community, 555 Ellis was the result of intensive outreach and input which helped shape the project to meet the needs of residents and neighbors alike.

The development has two community rooms, a computer lab, and three outdoor gardens--one with a play structure, another serving as a place for peaceful meditation and one on the rooftop.  The ground floor is home to the Ministries’ offices, community meeting rooms, counseling and tutorial services, parking, laundry and a library for the tenants.

For AND, 555 Ellis was an opportunity to link two of our programs serving disadvantaged residents.  Participants in our employment training program helped with building the project under Transworld Construction, and trainees in our furniture-manufacturing program provided custom kitchen cabinetry and tables designed for the community rooms.  The 555 Ellis Family Apts. was featured in AND’s book Good Neighbors: Affordable Family Housing published in 1997.

40 FOR 40: Peacock Commons - 2012

In 2012, the summer Olympics in London enthralled as millions watched swimmer Michael Phelps become the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals.  A long, brutal and expensive presidential election season left us exhausted.  And in the Bay Area, AND staffers celebrated with the City when the San Francisco Giants won the World Series in a clean sweep over Detroit.  The year also saw AND complete a unique project started in 2006 for the Bill Wilson Center, a nonprofit service provider dedicated to homeless and runaway youth. Peacock Commons became the first long-term residence for emancipated youth on the West Coast.

AND worked with the center to completely renovate a rundown apartment complex in Santa Clara County, creating supportive housing for as many as 45 transition-age youth, which include youth aging out of the foster care system, youth with children, youth with a mental health diagnosis and vic­tims of domestic violence.  A unique feature of Peacock Commons is that six adult mentors will reside in the apartments and serve as role models for the residents, as they provide 10-15 hours a month of services such as organizing potlucks and teaching classes.

The project design carved out multiple gathering spaces to provide opportunities for social interaction, including small seating areas within the protected interior court­yard.  A new 2,100 sq. ft. community building with a fully-functioning kitchen en­courages youth and mentors to create a neighborhood of residents, with workshops, cooking class­es and group meetings. These multiple public spaces help balance residents’ needs for privacy and social interaction.  

"It's a community it's not just an apartment building," says Executive Director Sparky Harlan.

Peacock Commons incorporates modern, energy-efficient technologies in its design. A rooftop solar thermal system and energy-efficient heat pumps provide hot water for the entire complex, and a solar photovoltaic array provides electricity for common areas and all exterior lighting. All windows were replaced with dual-glazed, energy-efficient units.  The site received all new paving, drought-tolerant landscaping, children’s water play area and playhouse. Interiors received new kitchens, bathrooms and flooring.  AND won an Honorable Mention for Peacock Commons in the 2013 SEED (Social Economic Environmental Design®) Awards for Excellence in Public Interest Design.