Crescent Cove

This affordable rental community maximizes an irregularly shaped site defined by the curve of CalTrain railroad tracks in the emerging Mission Bay neighborhood.

A four-story building, entered through stacked double-height lobbies, establishes a defined edge along the street. Bays and recesses, pedestrian entries, private patios, decks, and garden notches provide relief and texture to this edge.

To the rear, the building fans into an array of “fingers” with ample garden courtyards widening between them. Glass hallways connect these building sections, offering ample views of the green courtyards below.

A newly constructed landscaped street swings behind the building face. Lining the curve of the road, looking across at the courtyards, are freestanding townhouse units stacked atop studio apartments. Built with thick rear walls with sound-dampening properties, the curve of the back of the townhouses protects the development from the noise of the train.

“From our Solar System to our nervous system—everything’s interconnected.”

San Francisco artist Brian Barneclo, painted the Systems Mural Project on the railroad track side of the project. He explores the concept of interconnectivity through the 600-foot panoramic mural: “Systems are found in nature (the water cycle) and also created by man (the government). What have we learned about sustainable systems? What works and what doesn’t? Should we revisit ancient technologies? Is the Industrial Age over? It is through this conversation that we gain an understanding of perhaps the most complicated systems of all, our systems of belief.”