David Baker Architects Brings Market-Rate Micro-Units to San Francisco

All architects are influenced by other buildings, including their own. For a San Francisco building, 388 Fulton, David Baker Architects didn’t have far to look for inspiration. Just across the street stands their Richardson Apartments, studio housing for homeless residents. The design concept for 388 Fulton involved the consideration of how the buildings would relate to each other. “It was the idea of positive and negative forms,” principal David Baker says. “The dichotomy between concave and convex, matte and glossy.” The two forms create a visual frame for City Hall, two blocks away.

For the exterior, DBA used computer analysis to design perforated aluminum sunshades on the facade. Inside, 388 Fulton has the first market-rate micro-units in the city, providing “affordability by design.” Built-in storage beds help to maximize space in those units. Charles de Lisle weighed in on finishes, palette, and common furnishings. Another collaborator, for the project’s early phases, was the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco. Indeed, the development funded the neighboring clubhouse.