OMA's First Affordable Housing Project Opens in San Francisco, Blending Design with Social Good
In late July, OMA's New York office celebrated the completion of its inaugural affordable housing initiative, 730 Stanyan Street, located in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. This building features 160 affordable units within the nation's priciest rental market. Collaboratively designed with YA Studio, it showcases a facade made of glass fibre reinforced concrete, four-story corner structures, and a scoop that harmonizes with a nearby Victorian home. Amenities include retail space, a daycare, and murals created by Sorell Raino-Tsui and Jenifer Wofford. The site, acquired in 2017, was developed by the Chinatown Community Development Center and the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Center. All units were leased prior to the opening, including 32 designated for formerly homeless individuals and 32 for Section 8 tenants, marking it as the first fully affordable project on San Francisco's west side.
Key facts
- OMA's first affordable housing project, 730 Stanyan Street, opened in late July in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.
- The building provides 160 affordable housing units in the most expensive urban rental market in the US.
- Designed in collaboration with San Francisco firm YA Studio, the project features a GFRC facade.
- The site was purchased by the city in 2017, formerly a McDonald's.
- Developed by two nonprofits: Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) and Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Center (TNDC).
- The design team beat out 16 competitors; OMA principal Jason Long cut his hourly fee by one-third.
- All units were leased before opening, with 32 units for formerly homeless residents and 32 for Section 8 tenants.
- The project is the first 100% affordable development in San Francisco to use precast concrete as the primary facade system.
Entities
Artists
- Jason Long
- Bo Han
- Paul Wang
- Sorell Raino-Tsui
- Jenifer Wofford
- Barbara Stauffacher Solomon
- London Breed
Institutions
- OMA
- YA Studio
- Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC)
- Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Center (TNDC)
- Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development
- GLS Landscape Architecture
- Amoeba Music
- Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council
Locations
- San Francisco
- United States
- Golden Gate Park
- Haight-Ashbury
- New York
- California