Pioneer station in Net Zero Energy. Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design
28/03/2022.
[San Francisco] USA
metalocus, ÁNGELA MARTÍNEZ
metalocus, ÁNGELA MARTÍNEZ
TEF Design as the forerunner of the first Net Zero Energy switchgear station builds the expansion of the former PG&E power supply substation building established in 1962. This project is located at the intersection of Hyde Street and Eddy Street in northeast San Francisco, USA.
The building is in a state of continuous perceptual change. Thanks to the formal composition of the façade and its volumetry, a play of shadows is produced, the projection of which varies according to the time of day. At night, luminous traces bloom from its embossed envelope.
The building is in a state of continuous perceptual change. Thanks to the formal composition of the façade and its volumetry, a play of shadows is produced, the projection of which varies according to the time of day. At night, luminous traces bloom from its embossed envelope.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design. Photograph by Mikiko Kikuyama.
Site plan. Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design.
Ground floor plan. Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design.
First floor plan. Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design.
Basement floor plan. Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design.
Axonometry. Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design.
Sustainability diagram. Larkin Street Substation Expansion by TEF Design.
The TEF Design substation is strategically placed for easy access for cranes and machinery. It has a vertical garden on one of its facades in order to provide a green respite from the urban density of the area.
Several solar panels are located on the rooftop and supply all the building's energy needs. At the base of the building is a series of louvres that allow for natural ventilation without the need for additional cooling. It received the International Living Future Institute's (ILFI) Zero Energy Building (ZEB) CertificationTM from the Living Building Challenge, making it the first zero-energy target station in the United States.
Several solar panels are located on the rooftop and supply all the building's energy needs. At the base of the building is a series of louvres that allow for natural ventilation without the need for additional cooling. It received the International Living Future Institute's (ILFI) Zero Energy Building (ZEB) CertificationTM from the Living Building Challenge, making it the first zero-energy target station in the United States.
Description of project by TEF Design
The newly completed electrical switchgear building is the first Net Zero Energy (NZE) targeted electrical substation building in the United States. Tucked midblock on Eddy Street between Larkin and Hyde, the steel frame concrete structure is a modern addition to the existing historic 1962 substation building designed by PG&E to supply power to the northeastern part of the city.
The constrained property and need to accommodate crane and equipment lift access prescribed the expansion’s perpendicular orientation to the existing substation. The utilitarian structure features street-facing façades that integrate three types of GFRP panels – sloped, perforated, and ribbed – to form a faceted surface that belies its otherwise modest materiality. Each panel is individually crafted and unique, with ribs that cast linear shadow patterns in sunlight, creating an ever-changing surface throughout the day and year.
Sloped panels embedded with lighting fixtures pulsate across the building at night, expressing the City’s dynamic electrical power grid. The west-facing green wall, planted in a geometric pattern that echoes the faceted concrete walls, provides biophilic relief to the urban block while asserting its contribution to green values. A fine-grained metal mesh provides a transition between the existing and new addition and is also used to bookend the façade.
On top, 60 kW solar panel arrays offset the building’s energy consumption. Large vents at the base of the building exploit the City’s cool temperatures through natural ventilation that help eliminate the need for artificial cooling and reduce the building’s energy load by nearly 40 percent. Inside, supplemental fans, triggered only at high temperatures, help to cool the building only when needed. A comprehensive deep dive to understand the electrical needs of each discreet piece of equipment – from mechanical systems to the hand dryer in the restrooms – led to an incremental load reduction.
The PG&E Larkin Substation addition is the first targeted net-zero electrical switchgear utility building to get a rating from the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Living Building Challenge. The design team collaborated with ILFI in order to establish a rating system for registering the unprecedented building type.
More information
Architects
TEF Design. Lead architect.- Andrew Wolfram, AIA.
Design team
Project Manager.- Paul Cooper, AIA. Project Designer.-
Justin Blinn, AIA.
Collaborators
Landscape architecture.- Creo Landscape.
Civil engineering.- BFK Engineers.
Structural engineering.- Rutherford, Chekene.
MEP engineering.- MHC Engineers, Inc.
Lighting.- Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design.
Utility consultant/owner’s representative.- Urb-in.
Sustainability consultant.- Thornton Thomasetti.
Civil engineering.- BFK Engineers.
Structural engineering.- Rutherford, Chekene.
MEP engineering.- MHC Engineers, Inc.
Lighting.- Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design.
Utility consultant/owner’s representative.- Urb-in.
Sustainability consultant.- Thornton Thomasetti.
Client
PG&E.
General Contractors
Plant Construction Company, LP.
Dates
2019.
Manufacturers
Exterior Cladding.- Basalite Concrete Products. Nvelope. Vaproshield. Kreysler & Associates. Cambridge Architectural. Roofing.- Johns Manville.Kemper System. Doors.- Stiles Custom Metal. Cornell Iron. The Smith Company. Hardware.- Schlage. LCN. Von Duprin. Interior Finishes.- Benjamin Moore. Crossville, Heath Ceramics. Lighting.- Lithonia, ALW. Ecosense, Luminii, iLight, Bega, Hydrel, Cree. Acuity Controls. ETC. Conveyance.- Pflow Industries. Mechanical.- Greenheck. Panasonic. Plumbing.- Weil. Chronomite. Kohler. Sloan. Zurn. Watts. Energy.- Sun Light & Power. GSky.
Location
538 Eddy St, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA.
Photography
Douglas Tom. TEF Design
TEF Design is an architecture and interior design firm located in San Francisco and founded by Douglas Tom in 1997.
Their staff of over 30 is distinguished by the convergence of “large firm” experience delivered through the culture and care of a small practice. They combine these skills with a deep commitment to craftsmanship, value, and responsibility to create memorable places where people come together to share ideas and build community.
Douglas Tom's first job out of architecture school was a year-long stint as a VISTA volunteer in the underserved Pico Union neighbourhood of central Los Angeles. Working with other volunteers on projects that made a real difference in people’s lives had a strong impact on him, igniting a passion for socially-relevant work, particularly in educating young people.
A true collaborator, his deep connection to serving the community has shaped TEF’s culture and portfolio and informs our work with educational, non-profit, and community clients including the Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, the Child Abuse Prevention Center, Crissy Field Environmental Education Center, and the Presidio Institute.
He has led several non-profit educational organizations to bring innovative learning opportunities to disadvantaged young people through nationally-acclaimed programs, including the establishment of the award-winning Build SF program of the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco, which connects public high school students with real world experience through mentors in the design and construction industry. He was a founding board member of Envision Schools and a board member of the San Francisco Education Fund.
With more than four decades of experience, his steadfast belief in architecture’s role as a mechanism for social agency continues to drive his practice whether breathing new life into an historic public library or crafting a first-of-its-kind clinic in the Bayview serving children and families experiencing trauma.
Their staff of over 30 is distinguished by the convergence of “large firm” experience delivered through the culture and care of a small practice. They combine these skills with a deep commitment to craftsmanship, value, and responsibility to create memorable places where people come together to share ideas and build community.
Douglas Tom's first job out of architecture school was a year-long stint as a VISTA volunteer in the underserved Pico Union neighbourhood of central Los Angeles. Working with other volunteers on projects that made a real difference in people’s lives had a strong impact on him, igniting a passion for socially-relevant work, particularly in educating young people.
A true collaborator, his deep connection to serving the community has shaped TEF’s culture and portfolio and informs our work with educational, non-profit, and community clients including the Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, the Child Abuse Prevention Center, Crissy Field Environmental Education Center, and the Presidio Institute.
He has led several non-profit educational organizations to bring innovative learning opportunities to disadvantaged young people through nationally-acclaimed programs, including the establishment of the award-winning Build SF program of the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco, which connects public high school students with real world experience through mentors in the design and construction industry. He was a founding board member of Envision Schools and a board member of the San Francisco Education Fund.
With more than four decades of experience, his steadfast belief in architecture’s role as a mechanism for social agency continues to drive his practice whether breathing new life into an historic public library or crafting a first-of-its-kind clinic in the Bayview serving children and families experiencing trauma.
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