Salesforce Tower (San Francisco)

Salesforce Tower (San Francisco)
Name	Salesforce Tower
Location	San Francisco, California
Status	Complete
Start date	2013
Completion date	2018
Opening	2018
Building type	Office
Roof	970 ft
Top floor	61
Floor count	61
Architect	Pelli Clarke & Partners
Structural engineer	Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Developer	Boston Properties

Salesforce Tower (San Francisco) is a 61‑story commercial skyscraper in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco. As the tallest building in the city by roof height, it anchors the Transbay Transit Center redevelopment and symbolically represents the expansion of Salesforce and the Technology industry in the San Francisco Bay Area. The tower's scale, mixed reception, and role in urban redevelopment link it to regional debates around growth, transit, and housing.

History

The project's genesis traces to the late 2000s Transbay redevelopment plans involving the Transbay Joint Powers Authority and a competitive process among developers including Boston Properties, Hines, and others. The approval and air rights acquisition were negotiated with the City and County of San Francisco and influenced by proposals from firms such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Pelli Clarke & Partners, whose design ultimately received permits. Construction began after financing commitments from global lenders including institutions tied to BlackRock and international investors; the project progressed amid contemporaneous developments like the Salesforce.com IPO era expansion and the broader Dot-com revival of the 2010s. The tower opened in 2018 during a period marked by high-profile projects such as One World Trade Center and debates about skyscraper height limits in cities like New York City and Los Angeles.

Design and architecture

Designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners with lead architect Cesar Pelli's practice influence, the tower employs a tapered, cylindrical form that responds to zoning envelopes and sightline studies involving agencies such as the San Francisco Planning Commission. The cladding system uses a glass curtain wall developed in consultation with facade engineers and manufacturers from firms akin to Permasteelisa and Kawneer, and integrates high‑performance glazing similar to systems used on projects like Comcast Center and Bank of America Tower. The architectural program balanced iconography for tenant Salesforce with contextual references to nearby landmarks including Salesforce Park, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Bay Bridge. Landscape design at the podium integrates public realm goals articulated by entities like the Transbay Joint Powers Authority and influenced by urbanists associated with projects such as High Line.

Construction and engineering

Structural engineering was led by Magnusson Klemencic Associates collaborating with contractors experienced on supertalls like Willis Tower and Petronas Towers. The concrete core and composite steel framing strategy addressed seismic criteria set by the California Building Code and performance objectives informed by studies from institutions including US Geological Survey and Pacific Gas and Electric Company for site utilities. Deep foundation work referenced methods used at other Bay Area skyscrapers and coordinated with the Transbay Transit Center construction sequenced by the Transbay Joint Powers Authority. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems were installed to meet standards used by projects working with firms such as Schneider Electric and Siemens, and construction logistics involved crane work and staging similar to the Salesforce Transit Center adjacent site operations.

Features and amenities

The tower offers occupant amenities including large column‑free floor plates, multi‑level lobby spaces, and a publicly accessible podium plaza linked to Salesforce Park, a landscaped rooftop linear park atop the Transbay Transit Center engineered in partnership with landscape firms connected to projects like Battery Park City. Vertical transportation includes high‑speed elevators modeled on technologies from Otis Worldwide or KONE and destination dispatch systems comparable to implementations at The Shard and One Vanderbilt. Sustainability credentials were pursued with energy management and water conservation measures reminiscent of practices promoted by the U.S. Green Building Council and corporate sustainability programs at firms like Salesforce. Public art commissions and lighting installations referenced collaborations typical of municipal art programs seen at institutions like the San Francisco Arts Commission and major corporate campuses.

Tenants and occupancy

The anchor tenant, Salesforce, secured naming rights and occupies significant floors for headquarters functions alongside other notable tenants drawn from finance, technology, and professional services sectors similar to occupants at towers like One Liberty Plaza and Embarcadero Center. Leasing activity involved national and international brokers and mirrored market dynamics tracked by indices such as those compiled by CBRE and JLL. Occupancy patterns were influenced by corporate workplace strategies following events involving COVID‑19 pandemic remote work trends and regional labor market shifts observed in studies by University of California, Berkeley and metropolitan planning organizations like the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Reception and impact

Reception combined acclaim for skyline presence and urban integration with criticism related to neighborhood displacement, affordability debates, and shadowing concerns voiced by community groups and policymakers including members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Cultural commentators compared its silhouette to global icons including The Shard and debated its symbolic weight amid the Bay Area's tech expansion marked by firms like Apple Inc., Google, and Facebook. Economists and urban planners from institutions like Stanford University and San Francisco Planning Department have cited the project in analyses of office real estate cycles, transit-oriented development, and impacts on regional housing markets. The tower remains a prominent element in discussions linking corporate headquarters, public infrastructure projects like the Transbay Transit Center, and citywide planning initiatives.

Category:Skyscrapers in San Francisco Category:Office buildings completed in 2018