Under construction: SoMa office tests new 'living standard'

Richard Procter | San Francisco Business Times

When construction on 85 Bluxome wraps up toward the end of this year, it will be first of its kind on the West Coast.

The office project in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood, developed by Bluxome Partners, has been designed according to the WELL Building Standard, a fledgling new system that hopes to be to human physiology what LEED is to energy efficiency. The standard is third-party certified by Green Business Certification Inc.

The standard — administered by the International WELL Building Institute — aims to promote the well-being of a building’s occupants. For example, the standard promotes healthy lighting and access to outdoor areas. The new, 57,000-square-foot office building at 85 Bluxome will feature a roof deck and fifth floor terrace, combining for 12,000 square feet. The project is between 4th and 5th streets and Brannan and Townsend streets.

Don Tiefenbrunn, the BCCI Construction project director for 85 Bluxome, was skeptical at first.

“When I first heard about it, I wasn’t too impressed,” he said. “But when I heard them talk about it in person, it made a lot of sense. I think the whole industry is going to end up moving in that direction anyway. I don’t think it’s going to add a lot of cost to most projects...”