The Column: Transamerica Pyramid Center

Cristina Segni: The Transamerica Pyramid Center covers an entire city block, including the original Transamerica Pyramid tower that was designed by the futurist architect William Pereira, and two additional buildings, Two Transamerica and Three Transamerica. The whole site is unified by the Redwood Park at its centre. 

Orla Punch: A fundamental aim of the project was to create a new destination within the city. The public ground plane around the tower has been reinvigorated with added greenery, seating, a curated arts programme, and a range of places to eat and drink.   

Cristina: Our work also encompasses the Redwood Park, which has been newly planted with species that are native to California. We spent a lot of time reviewing original landscape drawings to ensure our interventions aligned with the original design intent, such as the new plum blossom trees that were part of the original plans. 

Orla: The lobby of the Transamerica Pyramid tower is now open to the public for the first time. The lobby design includes a new storefront façade with glass panels that span 24 feet. This added glazing connects the building with the exterior colonnade and natural surroundings, while inviting people inside. A café, florist and bookshop extend the experience of the local neighbourhood into the building.  

We encourage people to visit and see for themselves!  

Cristina: Our concept celebrates and sensitively restores the clarity of Pereira’s original design, while ensuring the building is updated for the 21st century. Getting this balance right was crucial to the success of the project – it’s a conversation between past, present and future.  

Orla: We focused on reinstating and expressing the original structure, particularly the diagrid structure in the lobby, which had been concealed by later additions. The lobby’s restoration involved the removal of a drop ceiling – and we updated the façade with high-performance glazing to bring in more daylight. We also chose to reveal one of the building’s original K-braces, creating a new focal point in the space, while showcasing the innovative seismic design that was ahead of its time in the 1970s. The existing materials in the tower, such as the 50-year-old column and beam precast cladding, were carefully matched with new additions.   

Cristina: Our decision to bring trees into the colonnade improves air quality and enhances its aesthetic appeal. We also applied a film to the existing windows of the amenity levels to enhance the building's environmental performance without altering the look of its historic facade. 

Orla: Further up the tower, the amenity levels have been reimagined as world-class hospitality spaces that provide the highest level of quality and comfort.  

Cristina: We’ve been told that locals walk past and feel things are different – but they can’t pinpoint the changes we’ve made – and I think this really highlights both the power and subtlety of our interventions.   

Orla: One of the main structural challenges was an existing MEP and stair area that divided the tower’s lobby into two disconnected spaces. So, another primary move was to relocate the MEP away from the façade – by doing this we were able to create one unified lobby space that anchors the project.  

Orla: The Montgomery Block in San Francisco has so much incredible history – and our design reactivates the area as the cultural destination it once was many years ago.  

Cristina: Our client, SHVO, organised a number of community engagement exercises such as the ‘Pyramid Dreams’ project that invited schoolchildren from the city to participate in an arts program about the tower.  

The project recently won a Community Alliance Award, which spotlights schemes that show commitment to enhancing the character and vitality of San Francisco neighbourhoods and the future of our built environment. We are delighted that the project is being recognised by the architectural community for the positive impact it’s having.