Yoga Sanctuary Rises in Palo Alto
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE ‘Q’ – THE REGISTRY’S PRINT PUBLICATION – APRIL 2013
Neil Gonzales | The Registry
John Berg’s new ultra-luxurious yoga studio in Palo Alto was never the property owner’s expectation.
Completed in 2010, the new building replaced a vacant gas station. It was ready for stores, restaurants or maybe a bank, befitting the commercial vibe coming from the popular shopping plaza nearby in the tree-lined neighborhood known as Midtown. The sleek structure at 2995 Middlefield Road with its green-tinged, glass-wall windows and a latticed appearance from the heat-reducing louvers around the second-story exterior has many environmentally friendly elements.
Then Berg popped his idea on the landlord: Why not lease the entire two-story, 6,500-square-foot building to a high-end yoga studio consistent with the technological and cultural sophistication of Silicon Valley? Erik Corrigan, a real estate investor and broker, was intrigued. “He never thought he was going to get so lucky and have one guy take it for 10 years,” said Berg, 54, who became deeply committed to yoga after being diagnosed with lymphoma a number of years ago.[quote]“Every choice I made for the center I tried to think of what would be inviting and comfortable but also respectful to the environment and beautiful.” John Berg, owner & founder, Samyama Yoga Center[/quote]
“But the owner is thrilled,” said Berg, cancer-free and looking fit and trim. “He has given me essentially carte blanche. He says, ‘What you’re doing to this building is so far beyond what we ever imagined.’”
It’s true, Corrigan said. The building shell, now owned by a Corrigan family partnership, is the handiwork of Palo Alto architect Ken Hayes of The Hayes Group. It has 22-foot ceilings on the first floor and 16-foot ceilings on the second that “allow dramatic open spaces,” Corrigan said. “As I broker I knew that tenants gravitate toward interesting properties.”
Work on the Samyama Yoga Center began last summer. Its design sits head-and-shoulders above the strip-mall studios that have popped up across the country. Expected to open in April, Samyama features ultramodern amenities that belie the ancient practice it embraces. The first floor has a dedicated retail shop, spa-quality restrooms, a massage-therapy area and a lounge. Upstairs, a stunning main studio and a smaller, more intimate one await practitioners of yoga, a spiritual discipline involving stretching, breathing and meditation that originated more than 5,000 years ago on the Indian subcontinent.
Throughout, the center boasts state-of-the-art mechanical systems, including lighting and sound that can be controlled by iPad or iPhone. The energy-efficient systems follow standards established by the building’s shell construction, which earned LEED Gold certification. The center also incorporates renewable and alternative materials such as bamboo, a hardy and sustainable resource.
“Every choice I made for the center, I tried to think of what would be inviting and comfortable but also respectful to the environment and beautiful,” said Berg, Samyama’s founder and lead instructor. He worked closely with design firm Brick LLP in Berkeley and San Francisco-based BCCI Construction Co. to realize his vision for the interiors. The luxurious appearance ultimately is supposed to help yoga enthusiasts find true inner healing as well as a sense of communal harmony…
Benny Evangelista | SFGATE
Square has leased about 150,000 square feet of space over four floors, enough to expand to about 1,000 employees within a year. But Square also has options on more space that would accommodate up to 2,000 employees.
It seems fitting that the next tenant is a tech company that built its business around mobile payments processing technology and now processes about $15 billion in transactions per year.
The press tour also gave Mayor Ed Lee a chance to tout the central Market district’s growing tech workforce…
News Release | Daily Pacific Builder
BCCI Construction announced that it recently completed architectural design and renovation services at 1045 Bryant Street, a hundred-year-old brick and timber building in the SOMA District of San Francisco. The building was recently purchased by developer Presidio Bay Ventures.
The repositioning of the project was completed by BCCI’s Structures Division, which specializes in core and shell construction for commercial buildings, with particular expertise in major building renovations and historic restorations.
Renovations of the 32,950 sq-ft, three-story building included removal of the existing exterior façade to expose the masonry brick underneath, construction of a new building entry point and lobby space, and installation of new storefront windows, elevators, interior stairs, roof, and mechanical shafts. A new heating and ventilation system was installed along with electrical system upgrades.
BCCI’s team utilized a reverse engineering approach to design to the developer’s budget, taking into consideration zoning and building code requirements to best position the property for asset return. The result is an upgraded building with modern amenities in the heart of the city’s technology center that offers abundant natural light, expansive city views and on-site parking.
The first floor space is home to the new Cambria USA showroom, while the second and third floors are leased to a startup drone software company. All tenants have access to vertical bike racks and an outdoor patio.
The structure, originally constructed in 1916, is located in the heart of the city’s technology center, and within walking and biking distance to San Francisco’s best restaurants and shops. In addition, Cambria Gallery – San Francisco, the only family-owned, American-made natural quartz producer in North America, has a stunning showroom on the ground level.
The repositioning project at 1045 Bryant Street is one of the latest completed by BCCI’s Structures Division. Other projects include 85 Bluxome, The Battery, Canon METC West, and Clearview Business Center.
About Presidio Ventures
Founded in 1998, Presidio Ventures is the wholly owned early stage investment vehicle of Sumitomo Corporation. Since its inception, Presidio Ventures has invested in over 100 U.S. startups for a total investment amount of $200 million. Presidio Ventures is comprised of ten investment professionals across offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, and New York, who split their time between new investment and business development for our companies.
Comcast’s Wild West Office
The WELL Building Standard takes a human-centric approach to constructed environments.
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE ‘Q’ – THE REGISTRY’S PRINT PUBLICATION – IN APRIL 2014
Neil Gonzales | The Registry
Justin Miller wants his employees to run wild. Wild with creativity, that is.
It helps that their workplace environment at Comcast Cable’s recently expanded Silicon Valley Innovation Center in Sunnyvale is particularly conducive to that goal, from the carpet’s quirky circuit-board pattern to conference rooms playfully named after songs and from the magnetic, writable walls to the cool exposed ceiling.
“Part of having an innovation center is to go crazy and free,” said Miller, general manager of Comcast Silicon Valley. The Innovation Center was launched in 2011 in 40,000 square feet at the Moffett Towers, 1050 Enterprise Way. It now has been expanded to 70,000 square feet on two floors…
“We wanted people’s ideas to soar. You need space for that.”
Justin Miller, General Manager, Comcast Silicon Valley
Bay Area-based builder BCCI served as the general contractor for the expansion effort, whose cost was not disclosed, while the Urban Field Group, a San Francisco-based construction management company, was the project manager…
MBH Architects Turns Former Laboratory into New Office Space
Dexigner
MBH Architects has relocated to a new office just a mile away from its previous space. The firm partnered with BCCI Construction to create a one-of-a-kind workplace, which is housed in a former biological manufacturing laboratory located in the Marina Village Parkway area with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay.
After a lengthy study conducted to make sure the building was ready to undergo a major renovation, the building was completely gutted. The MBH team who led the renovation wanted a workplace that emphasized the business practices of the award-winning firm while also offering an open layout and different areas for employees to take part in brainstorms, meetings, and other collaborative efforts. MBH implemented essential components of the 40,000 square foot office supporting interdepartmental collaboration and employee health. The result-features include a large eat-in kitchen, bike racks, and sit-and-stand desks.
Creating a sustainable office was a key part of the design. The team installed appliances, technology, and other products that help to reduce waste, maintain efficient water systems, and thoughtfully manage lighting. Throughout the new space, employees can find several composting and recycling bins further reducing waste. All of the items implemented has helped MBH earn LEED gold certification.
Measuring WELLness
The WELL Building Standard takes a human-centric approach to constructed environments.
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE ‘Q’ – THE REGISTRY’S PRINT PUBLICATION – IN OCTOBER 2016
Jacob Bourne | The Registry
The building revolution in sustainability brought about by LEED has a collaborative counterpart in the WELL Building Standard, which guides design and policies focusing on human health and wellness for offices and other environments. After WELL piloted for two years, it was officially launched October 2014 in New Orleans by its creator, Delos. Today there are projects in over 24 countries registered under the WELL Standard. The 266 publicly registered projects represent about 55 million square feet of space constructed using the Standard, though the numbers are significantly higher including projects registered privately. WELL was envisioned and is emerging as a set of building principles that function cooperatively with LEED to usher in a future of building construction that serves both the needs of environmental sustainability and human health. About 20 percent of WELL Standard features overlap with those of LEED…
BCCI Construction, headquartered in San Francisco at 1160 Battery Street, is in the final stages of acquiring WELL certification, in addition to LEED, for its main office and awaits performance verification results.
“We have our own sustainability department, so it was important for us to walk the talk by getting certified.”
Kena David, Sustainability Manager, BCCI Construction
BCCI also worked on a SoMa office development at 85 Bluxome Street, which participated in the WELL pilot project; this was BCCI’s first introduction to the WELL Standard and spurred the company to promote it to other clients, as well. BCCI currently has projects in San Jose and Texas that are working towards this certification. Interest in WELL has been reported along the corridor from San Francisco to San Jose, from the tech sector and others including universities and municipalities.
Best of the Year Awards 2018
Cindy Allen | Interior Design Magazine
Project and product winners were announced in New York City at the River Pavilion, Javits Center on November 30th in a ceremony hosted by editor in chief Cindy Allen. In total, the Best of Year Awards included an astonishing 2,000 entries and 586 finalists in 133 design categories. Read full coverage of the event here.
Small Corporate Office Honoree: Confidential Investment Firm
Location: San Francisco
Architect: Gensler
General Contractor: BCCI Construction
Interiors Awards 2017: Education
Murrye Bernard | Contract Magazine
826 Valencia Tenderloin Center
Designers: Gensler, MKThink, and collaborators
Client: 826 Valencia
Location: San Francisco
“This inspired interior promotes creativity and exploration, creating an unexpected wonderland with a richness of spirit. One is transported into a tactile fantasy space that is full of surprises. It is exciting that they did this on a very minimal budget.” —Jury
Author Dave Eggers and educator Ninive Calegari founded the nonprofit 826 Valencia in 2002 with the goal of supporting the creative writing skills of under-resourced students from ages 6 to 18. Named for the street address of its original location in San Francisco’s Mission District, 826 Valencia soon expanded across the U.S. with several chapters. The organization recently opened its second San Francisco location, with a writing center as well as a retail component in the Tenderloin neighborhood…
People on the Move | San Francisco Business Times
Kena David, sustainability manager at BCCI Construction Co. and a member of CREW SF, was recognized as a Rising Rock Star at the recent ELEVATE Awards, an iconic Bay Area-wide celebration of women in the commercial real estate industry.