Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture

San Francisco, CA

At the completion of a Public Realm Plan, The Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (FMCAC) teamed with Plural to advance the design of a new Entry Plaza and Bicycle Loop, a new Promenade and increased connectivity between upper and lower Fort Mason. 

The historic U.S. Army San Francisco Port of Embarkation is one of the most significant historic military sites in the West Coast, acting as the main port of all World War II activities in South East Asia. The Entry Plaza plays an important role in telling the many stories of the men and women who served our country and the how this site served them. At the entry, a large seating sculpture made of many crate-like boxes is inspired from historic imagery of a bustling port. A cast-iron grate covers and protects existing railroad tracks, and linear LED lights trace the tracks below the grate, highlighting the key historic infrastructure at night.

FMCAC’s programming has created new gathering spaces at the south ends of the four existing military buildings, we looked to organize these spaces into a cohesive linear Promenade. Working within the palette of asphalt and white parking stripping, we developed a graphic paving system to give structure to the Promenade with the idea that the graphic floor could become a curated art piece that told the story of the non-profit. We designed a family of large modular steel furniture pieces to match that scale of the large fort and be visible from Upper Fort Mason. The modular furniture composition re-configures itself to align with the adjacent needs of the building uses and provides benches and tables for casual gathering.

Lastly, the two campuses are currently disconnected by a hillside with over 50’ of grade change. We developed a system of overlooks and stairs to better connect these spaces, bring greater awareness to Lower Fort Mason, and enjoyment of the spectacular views. The main stair connection provides a gathering space and bleacher at the top of the stair allowing the visitor to take in the view of the Golden Gate Bridge before descending into Lower Fort Mason.

CLIENT
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture

COLLABORATORS
National Parks Service
Lotus Water
Nelson\Nygaard

SIZE
1.5 acres

COMPLETED
2019 - present