PROGRAM

The program is to design a new West Coast headquarters for the National Geographic Society, a global nonprofit organization committed to exploring and protecting our planet. The headquarters will be located in a historic building in Presidio district of San Francisco. The historic architectural style is Mission Revival and the building has a cement plaster exterior with a red clay tile roof. The structure is steel post and beams with composite deck flooring supported by lightweight steel joists.  The building has two storeys over a basement with modern, fully automatic sprinkler system.

 

The client wants to develop a mixed-use building that will house their West Coast Headquarters office as well as retail space, public exhibit space and a cafe for visitors.

 

 

CONCEPT

The concept for this project is Volcanic Eruptions. We all know National Geographic for its beautiful photography of many natural phenomena happened all around the world. One of the natural phenomena is volcanic eruptions. Volcanic eruptions are always related to a natural disaster that destroys many buildings and breaks people heart. But after each of eruptions, it makes the soil great for growing new crops. 

 

The volcano symbolizes elements such as fire, earth, water, and air. It is all about reminding us to stay on our foundation beliefs, communication, emotions/feelings, enhance calmness, passion, action, and power. With this concept, creating a design for National Geographic, a nonprofit organization who thrive to protect our planet not to be shaken by external ripple and to stay on their foundation beliefs to make the world a better place. When one of the volcanoes in California (Lassen Mountain) erupted, it leaves a prominent bed ash in south of San Francisco making it a good place for National Geographic to open its new headquarters there.

 

The concept will be applied through textures, organic shapes, and colors that is bold and create dynamic movement. 

 

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

 

 

The 1st floor of the space is the public space including the lobby, museum gift shop, museum cafe, and exhibition area on the back. The museum cafe overlooking the golden gate bridge. The 1st-floor plan is designed base on the spaces of a volcano overlooking from above. The center of the space which is the learning center is the magma chamber where everything happened under pressure. A volcano has a circular depression and it was developed into lava wall exhibition on the space. The color on the first floor is a combination of black, gray, red and yellow.  All finishes and fixtures are chosen to best represent the concept of a volcano.

 

The 2nd floor of the space is based on a volcano base concept drawing. On the 2nd floor, everything is toned down because the design was based on after eruptions. The walls are mostly white but still has a touch of yellow and gray colors to represent the magma and ashes. The open workstations featuring a carpet that looks like a magma. 

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