Velti Headquarters

Velti is a leading global mobile marketing and advertising firm that offers Fortune 500 companies cutting edge technologies to reach their consumers and drive brand awareness. For its new headquarters, the client chose the sixth floor of the Steuart Tower in San Francisco’s Financial District. The 38,000-square-foot office offers expansive views of the Ferry Building and San Francisco Bay and ample space for a creative, flexible workplace.

The scheme of the new headquarters embraces an innovative workplace strategy that allows its broad range of employees — marketers, engineers, executive directors, IT, product developers, and in house counsel — to work in a collaborative and inspiring environment that embodies their brand. The program includes offices, dining facilities, exhibition and public gathering space as well as an employee recreation lounge — the Tavern — which houses a video arcade, photo booth, bar, and game room.

Strategic design interventions such as carefully attuned circulation, retractable walls, ample natural light, a unique departmental neighborhood system, and formal and informal workspaces, ensure the headquarters is a workplace for the future.

The distinct workspace neighborhoods of formerly scattered departments are defined by layout through color, graphics, furniture and finishes. The aim was to enable communication without forfeiting the character of each respective department. All the neighborhoods are linked by predominant textures and graphics that run throughout the headquarters.

The featured elements of design include exposed concrete floors, open and layered ceilings, custom super graphics and expansive views which exemplifies the qualities and the culture of the client’s organization.

Ocean Beach Master Plan

Ocean Beach extends more than three miles along San Francisco’s rugged Pacific coast, offering visitors a stunning encounter with natural forces at the city’s edge. Drawing more than 30,000 visitors annually to stroll, bike, and surf, Ocean Beach is part park, part urban amenity, and unique to the city’s landscape. Unfortunately, infrastructure-eroding storm surges and predictions of sea-level rise threaten the beach’s security.

Since 2012, AECOM’s design planning team has been working with the San Francisco Planning Urban Research Association (SPUR) to create a sustainable long-term vision for Ocean Beach that addresses environmental conservation, sustainable infrastructure and stewardship.

“Our original vision looked at the enhancement of ecological and open space functions with the same urgency as protecting infrastructure from erosion and climate-change-related sea level rise,” explains Patricia Fonseca, landscape designer and project manager. “Our team will continue our work with SPUR and the community to transform Ocean Beach to be resilient to the effects of climate change as well as an even better place for people and nature.”

Central Market Economic Strategy

The stretch of Market Street between 5th Street and Van Ness Avenue is a vital segment of the urban core of San Francisco, and is key to its future as a vibrant, diverse and economically thriving city. For over a century, the Central Market, or Mid-Market, district has served as a regional center for arts, entertainment and retail. During the past several decades, the district has struggled with high vacancy rates, a lack of private investment, physical blight and a myriad of social challenges.

The planning effort for the Central Market Economic Strategy grew out of the realization that there were dozens of organizations and countless individuals working to improve and strengthen Central Market. However, there was no unifying framework to guide this work, and no clear method to ensure coordination and prevent duplication of efforts. In order to create a cohesive effort and ensure that all of the ongoing efforts work towards a common goal and capitalize on opportunities, the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development launched a community-oriented planning process to enable neighborhood residents and other stakeholders to work collaboratively to prioritize activities, programs, and policies that will strengthen and transform the district.

The Economic Strategy is a way for the city to formally capitalize on recent successes in the neighborhood, build on existing community assets, and harness excitement and energy about the district to create jobs, and increase the quality of life for all residents. Several recent trends, such as the presence of the creative technology industry — including Twitter’s relocation to the district — as well as the growth of cultural and performing arts organizations, facilities and institution — like Burning Man, Gray Area Foundation for the Arts and American Conservatory Theater — serve as a foundation for continued growth, investment and excitement in the district.

Building on existing activity and interest, Central Market is envisioned to grow and thrive as the heart of innovation throughout the city and the region. The Central Market Economic Strategy provides a clear road map for the city and partners that are committed to improving the district.

 

New Irvington Tunnel Project

The New Irvington Tunnel is a 3-1/2 mile long, 8.5-foot finished, improved delivery water conveyance tunnel, built parallel to an existing tunnel between the Sunol Valley and Fremont, California. The first tunnel, completed in 1930, was a critical link in San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Hetch Hetchy water supply system. Over the years following construction, water supply demands in the Bay Area grew to a level that the first tunnel could not be shut down for maintenance or repair without severely impacting water supply for over 2.5 million customers.

The $250 million new tunnel was designed by AECOM to provide seismic resiliency and improved delivery reliability to a critical link in the water delivery system. The tunnel is a key project in the SFPUC’s Water Supply Improvement Program, which includes over 80 major capital improvement projects and has a total budget of $4.5 billion. AECOM provided design services for five of the largest projects in the program, totaling over $1 billion in constructed value.