Benchmark

This project was executed by Caroline Nassif while she was a Project Architect at Lundberg Design. As Project Architect, Caroline spearheaded the design, documentation, materials selection, and construction administration for the project.

(SAN FRANCISCO | 2020)

Located in a landmark historic highrise in downtown San Francisco, this 19th floor interior remodel sought to celebrate the exposed brick and concrete of the existing structure and to capitalize on the panoramic views of the newly constructed Transbay Terminal elevated park, SFMOMA, and the San Francisco hills beyond. Our clients, a venture capital firm that provides seed money to startups, wanted a design for their office that married sophisticated taste with an approachable aesthetic - one that celebrated texture, color, and a sense of scrappy ingenuity.  Our design also needed to prioritize acoustic privacy while maintaining a visual connection through the conference rooms to the exterior windows and vistas beyond. 

To meet these design goals, we installed a variety of soundproofing treatments in every space, each with a unique texture and playful colors. For instance, the hallway ceiling was composed of HeartFelt linear baffles in varying shades of gray. Each conference room featured a felt panel wall with a different design and color, and we employed a proprietary double stud system with rubber gaskets as demising walls. The glass walls that lined the hallway were double glazed to provide acoustic isolation.  The dining room walls were clad in vibrant green upholstered panels, and the floating fabric lighting fixtures hanging above doubled as both acoustic clouds and warm lighting elements. Dove brown suede panels in the lounge contrasted with the exposed brick while providing a soft wall material. 

We also focused on design solutions that told a story. Gray carpet tiles used throughout were composed of recycled fishing nets. The light green backlit wall in the reception area was custom fabricated by the Lundberg Design shop and featured reclaimed channel glass panels reclaimed from a parking garage façade in the Dogpatch. Finally, we developed custom fortune cookie wallpaper from sheets printed by Yang’s Fortunes Incorporated in San Francisco, which we used in the small call rooms.

Fortune cookie paper printed by the same Dogpatch print shop (featured in a 99% Invisible podcast episode) which provides fortunes for some of the nation’s largest Chinese restaurant chains was used as custom wallpaper behind triangular felt panels in call rooms. The fortune cookie itself, a uniquely American invention, originated in San Francisco, and the wallpaper from a distance reads as a graphic grid pattern, but upon closer inspection reveals uplifting messages, reflecting the optimism inherent in launching new businesses.

High end commercial office overlooking San Francisco modern interior design with wood, steel and exposed brick architecture
Modern commercial office lounge with exposed brick steel accents and wooden tables luxury interior design and architecture
Close up of gray wall panels in a high end commercial office modern interior design
Modern black wall sconce on exposed brick wall in modern commercial office in San Francisco Bay Area
Modern wood wall cabinet and shelving in a high end commercial office building in San Francisco
Modern shelving unit in luxury commercial office in San Francisco sliding panel doors opening to reveal a conference room tv screen
Conference room corner with open wood wall shelf and office plant modern interior design
Wall shelving unit revealing hidden compartment to hold office accessories in a sleek modern commercial office space
Modern commercial office conference room with exposed brick walls fresh green walls wooden table and black leather chairs large modern light fixtures
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Close up of modern wooden office table in commercial conference room two small plants on table
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View of San Francisco skyline showing Salesforce tower and Millennium Tower fog rolling in front of bright blue sky
Large company office room with long wood slab conference room table and wall of glass leading to hallway modern light figures and gray felt paneling on walls
Modern oval metal light fixtures over wooden conference room table sleek interior design
Modern conference room table with wooden table top with black leather conference rom chairs and gray felt walls high end custom table
luxury conference room table top with natural rood opening revealing hidden electrical strip to plug in office computer and accessories
close up of modern interior design element of gray felt geometric wall panels for noise reduction
Commercial office conference room featuring sleek office interior design glass paneled wall leading to hallway and gray felt paneled wall featuring a black conference room tv screen
Modern minimal conference break room design with wood center table and countertop along wall with modern sink luxury architecture design
Closeup of gray slats of ceiling panels in a modern commercial office space
Closeup of sleek gray ceiling panels in a commercial office space in San Francisco
Close up of gray panel strips covering a commercial office space ceiling with cut out to reveal warm ceiling recessed light
Modern office entryway and reception area minimalist interior design and architectural elements
Modern high end commercial conference room with wooden circular conference room table accented by asymmetric geometric leather bench large open windows fill space with light
closeup of wood grain on office conference room table with leather and steel conference room chair
Small office room nook in commercial office space brown leather chairs and small white table large conference room windows and triangular paneled accent wall for modern luxurious environment
Brown conference room chairs surrounding white table modern commercial interior design
Modern office wallpaper printed with fortune cookie sayings accented with gray felt wall panels creative modern interior design
Modern interior commercial office with exposed brick wall large windows overlooking downtown San Francisco
Close up of modern oval light fixtures in downtown office space
Close up of wooden conference room table with natural feel from wood grain
Creative office table made from wood with natural feeling splits in wood grain custom office furniture in luxury commercial space
Conference room with black office chairs and beautiful bespoke conference table with wooden top showcasing wood grain to balance gray and steel industrial design
Conference room overlooking downtown San Francisco designed by modern architecture design firm
Modern conference room with wall of felt panels accented by warm wood conference room table
Conference room entryway showcasing wall covered in cool gray felt panels with a large tv screen for company meetings

CLIENT

Benchmark Capital

PROJECT TEAM

LWG Construction, dHive Glazed Walls, BanksLandl Lighting Design


PHOTOGRAPHER

Thomas Kuoh

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