<< Previous Case Study                                                                                                                             Next Case Study >>

THE YARD AT MISSION ROCK San Francisco, California

Bringing the block to life with interim activity

Developer

San Francisco Giants Development Group

Designers

Rebar, Gehl Studio San Francisco

Land Use Program

• 18,000 square feet
• Constructed from 15 shipping containers salvaged from the Port of Oakland
• Features a beer garden with barbeque, coffee shop and retail store selling Giants gear
• Multi-story bleacher seating area for concerts and movies
• Innovative ‘Pop up’ venue used to generate a buzz and activate the land
• Part of the proposed Mission Rock mixed-use development project which will include 650 housing units, 1.7 million square feet of commercial space and an 8-acre park

Brief

The Yard at Mission Rock is based on a light and flexible physical infrastructure capable of expanding and contracting as the site program changes: a temporary village of shipping containers bringing some of the best elements of great neighborhoods to the site. These include local food and drink, a rotating section of pop-up shops, cultural programming, plus public amenities, like large steps, decking, park furniture, greenery and a promenade for strolling and relaxing – all prototyping the kind of urban culture that can generate life in the future neighborhood.

The Yard at Mission Rock will allow the San Francisco Giants to test urban design concepts and relationships with potential future tenants and cultural programmers in a low risk environment, as well as attracting businesses and customers to the first phase of the development. The site utilizes 70 parking spaces in the Mission Rock Lot A parking area, and will run for 2-5 years.

Lessons for Walkability.

• Interim measures can enliven the street before construction takes place
• Bringing people and activity seeds future development with foot traffic and generates interest  
• Cultural programming plan will bring life to the site every day of the week
• Early activation projects invite the people of cities to be part of developing the culture of a new neighborhood
• Flexible physical environment of the container village creates usable, intelligent spaces that improve the quality of public life

Images courtesy of Gehl Studio San Francisco