Timber ‘jewel box’ office is a design gem

Project: 1 De Haro

Award: Wood in Architecture, Silver, 2022

Location: San Francisco, USA

Architect: Perkins & Will

Client: SKS Partners

This office and light industrial space is San Francisco's first cross-laminated timber (CLT) building and showcasing the beauty of the wood it is constructed from was integral to 1 De Haro’s design. Intended to evoke a jewel box, its wooden core structure is kept exposed - wrapped only in a glimmering glass curtain wall that is illuminated at night. It has a striking triangular shape and is naturally lit by expansive windows which showcase the warmth and beauty of the wood to the outside world. The wood-to-wood joinery and connections were designed to demonstrate the fine level of precision and high-quality construction made possible by CNC milling and shop fabrication. The four-storey building is constructed from black spruce, harvested from the Boreal Forest in Quebec, the 11th largest FSC Certified Forest in the world. The spruce timber brings a modern Scandinavian feel to the project with a lighter, whitish-yellow tone and smaller, more frequent knots. 

Design highlights

The building has a flexible framework that can be adapted to meet the changing needs of tenants. Exposed spruce timber was utilized for the floors, roof, column beams, feature walls and operable sunshade louvres which help to cool the building’s interior. 

Photo credit: David Wakely