415 Natoma and 5M Neighborhood Open in San Francisco

The design of 415 Natoma is inspired by the building’s surroundings, blending San Francisco’s history and modern language to balance the old and new. The stepped, intersecting massing relates to the context of the neighboring streets – which to the north are denser and more commercial and to the south are smaller, industrial, and residential – while a collage of complementary vertical and horizontal textures on the façade creates a dynamic expression. Cantilevered volumes at the podium level provide 27,000 square feet of outdoor terraces with sweeping views of San Francisco. Spanning 640,000 square feet, the building features large open floor plates with column-free interiors to best serve the technology company tenants. KPF served as design architect for 415 Natoma, with House & Robertson Architects serving as architect of record.

“415 Natoma anchors the 5M district with a design that responds to its location in the heart of the SoMa neighborhood,” said Trent Tesch, AIA, KPF Design Principal. “The project welcomes the public at its base with an open lobby, integrating seamlessly into the ground plane. The layered and split massing addresses the surrounding built context with a façade that employs a variety of textures, patterns, and colors, all reinforcing the goals of the 5M SoMa master plan. Our team is proud to have been involved in this development from the beginning, seeing it through the entitlement process, working with the community and city, and proceeding with construction despite the many challenges presented by the pandemic. We congratulate Brookfield Properties and our many collaborators on this exciting opening.”

The state-of-the-art office building’s hospitality-driven lobby features curated retail and food and beverage options. It is also publicly accessible, featuring an open-wall design that opens onto The Parks at 5M, a new half-acre park that will host special programming throughout the year, activating the ground plane of 415 Natoma and 5M. A second lobby is dedicated to anchor tenants and can be customized to reflect their brand identity. Thumbtack, the modern home management platform, recently announced it has leased space in the building

Director of KPF’s West Coast Operations Angela Wu shared, “We are very excited about the opening of 415 Natoma and 5M. We believe it will bring a new energy to the neighborhood with programmed publicly accessible indoor and outdoor space. Taking cues from the neighboring buildings, 415 Natoma embodies the rich texture of its surroundings while providing panoramic views, outdoor terraces, and indoor flexible working space for tenants. We are very proud to be in partnership with our clients, Brookfield, and Forest City before them, as well as the entire project and master plan team to make the vision of a publicly focused space to reality.”

With plentiful access to outdoor space, state-of-the-art mechanical and ventilation systems, and touchless building automation features, 415 Natoma prioritizes tenant wellness and happiness. The building is targeting WELL Core & Shell and LEED Gold certifications.

The 5M master plan is a four-acre renovation partnership between Brookfield Properties and Hearst located between 5th, Mission, and Howard Streets, offering public parks, green terraces, and a range of mid- to high-rise buildings. SITELAB Urban Studio served as master planner in partnership with KPF.

The completion of 415 Natoma and 5M marks a significant milestone for KPF’s portfolio on the United States West Coast. Additional ongoing work includes Platform 16, an energy-efficient office complex, South Almaden Boulevard, an office building inspired by its proximity to the Guadalupe River, and Google’s Downtown West, a 79-acre campus that reinvigorates Downtown San Jose.