8th + Howard/SOMA Studios Affordable Housing, Apartments, Parking Lite, Shop, SRO
San Francisco, California

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David Baker + Partners Architects

Howard Street main entrance with custom steel gate. Image: Brian Rose.

View from Sumner Alley towards the Howard Street elevation. Image: Brian Rose.

Corner view: 8th + Howard streets. Image: Brian Rose

The city corner comes alive with 8th + Howard/SOMA Studios' undulating edge, bright geometric mural, bustling corner market, and hand-crafted glass and steel gate. An eclectic mix of artists, immigrants, veterans, and young people have made these 162 units of affordable housing their home in San Francisco.
Inside 8th + Howard/SOMA Studios

We visited 8th + Howard/SOMA Studios with photographer Bill Owens to meet the folks and families living in this unique affordable housing project—combining SRO-style units and family apartments—in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood.

www.dbarchitect.com/BillOwens

Inside 8th + Howard/SOMA Studios from Db+P, Architects on Vimeo.

Retail windows and modern awning along Howard Street.

The organic market on the ground floor of 8th + Howard provides a bright spot to shop or sit. Image: Bill Owens.

Retail along 8th Street keeps things lively.

Unbundled parking frees up space for a child-care center and 19,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving retail, including an organic market. The building is visually rich, with a modern patchwork mural punctuated by long windows on one side, a sinuous wall creating curving rooms on the other. The careful, yet playful, design allows for a depth of detail uncommon in affordable housing.

Daycare from above. Image: Brian Rose.

Kids at play at the on-site daycare center. Image: Brian Rose.

Image: Brian Rose.

Courtyard provides a safe play area and event space for SOMA Studios residents.

Family courtyard on the apartment side of the complex. Image: Brian Rose.

This five-story complex is divided in two: The studio side houses modern single-occupancy studios with private baths; the family side features affordable family apartments. Both sides enjoy private courtyards and a wealth of community services.

Garden entry provides a chance to decompress from the gritty urban neighborhood. Image: Cesar Rubio.

The gap in the urban edge provides a view into the softer interior open space, sharing it with the civic whole. Entrances to the housing are through semipublic landscaped courtyards that also serve as outdoor green space for public functions.

awards

Merit Award: Excellence in Architecture:
San Francisco Chapter, American Institute of Architects
Design Merit Award: Affordable
Residential Architect Magazine
AIA Housing Committee Award: Multifamily Housing
American Institute of Architects
Builder's Choice Merit Award
Builder's Magazine
Gold Nugget Merit Award
Pacific Coast Builders Conference
Best Affordable Residential
San Francisco Business Times

publications

Bill Owens: Inside Affordable Housing
Iconoclast of Design
A SOMA Complex Proves that Affordable Housing Doesn't Have to be Ugly

endorsed by:


Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation

Citizens Housing Corporation

project details

Client

Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation

Client

Citizens Housing Corporation

Architect

David Baker + Partners

Associate Architect

I.A. Gonzales Architects

Interior Design

David Baker + Partners

Landscape Architect

Adrienne Wong Associates

Structural Engineer

Faye Bernstein + Associates

Electrical Engineer

Pete O. Lapid + Associates

Mechanical/Plumbing Engineer

Tommy Siu + Associates

Artisan Metal Fabricator

South Park Fabricators

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www.dbarchitect.com/SOMAStudios

project data
SOMA Studios + 8th + Howard Family Housing
 9812
1180-1190 Howard Street
San Francisco, California
Completed July 2003
number of units
studio 88
1 bedroom 12
2 bedroom 40
3 bedroom 22
total 162
commercial
childcare sf
 6,000
retail sf 18,000
density ratios
project sf 176,874
site sf 45,375
acres 1.0
total bedrooms 246
bedrooms/acre 236
units/acre 155
parking
total 66
spaces/unit .38
type podium