Group’s only-in-S.F. office.
Travel association’s home plugs into tech vibe, taps local artisans
Why should tech companies be the only ones known for cool offices?
San Francisco Travel, the association devoted to the city’s No. 1 industry — not tech, but tourism, which the association says generates $8.9 billion a year for the local economy — offers proof to the contrary.
From its new home at 1 Front St., at the crossroads of old money (Financial District) and new (SoMa startups), the group has put out its welcome mat to the world with an infectious enthusiasm for all things San Francisco.
The LEED Gold Certified-office (a more stringent Green Business Certification is being pursued) was designed by Hakee Chang, senior designer at Rapt Studio in San Francisco.
“We had a short list of criteria” for the design and furnishings, says Chang, which boiled down to: Keep it local and keep the employees inspired to sell the city.
That affection for all things Bay Area is evident as soon as the elevator doors open onto the new offices on the 29th floor — and a towering mural of the Golden Gate Bridge done by one of its own employees, San Francisco native Mario Sanchez, and his friend Robert Gonzalez.
A walk-through reveals more local talent: pendant lighting by Pablo Designs, furniture upholstery by Luna Textiles, ceramic tiles by Heath Ceramics, wooden tables by Ohio Design in the Mission District — all San Francisco companies.
The rug made of recycled fire hoses is from Oxgut Hose Co. in Emeryville. Even a vertical-planting system has a local angle: It was installed by a local landscape designer who happened to be the mother of an employee.
The second criterion for the space was a push by Joe D’Alessandro, San Francisco Travel president and CEO, to open up
the offices and, Chang says, “really connect with what’s going on as a trend out there in the tech world”: collaborative work space. To that end, there are few walls and there is no door to D’Alessandro’s space. Employees (about 90) are free to wander in for a chat. And the CEO isn’t the only one with the view: Windows reach to the ceiling on three sides, flooding the space with natural light.
Meeting rooms, from cozy to large, are named after neighborhoods — Presidio, Union Square, Bayview, SoMa, etc. — each with a corresponding hand-etched logo designed by Rapt Studio. Work by notable Bay Area artists is featured, including etchings from 1906 earthquake survivor Alexander “Alec” Stern.
The accent color, International Orange, pops up in upholstery, comfy poufs, ceiling tiles and jagged wall dividers (designed by Rapt Studio) that mimic our famous hills. Ringing most of the space is a path called the “collision area,” providing, Chang says, “opportunities where people can bump into each other” for a collaborative chat.
But the heartbeat of the office is the city itself: From the 29th floor are views of both bridges, the skyscraping canyon of Market Street extending west (perfect for catching June’s Pride Parade, D’Alessandro says), the
“It’s made up like San Francisco. We draw from that diversity. We tried to bring that into every nook and cranny.”
Hakee Chang, designer
neighborhoods and hills and rolling fog.
“That’s exactly what we’re trying to bring into the space — it’s made up like San Francisco,” Chang says. “We draw from that diversity. We tried to bring that into every nook and cranny.”
Chang adds: “But there’s also the people that make up S.F. Travel,” and he shows off one of his favorite spots, which D’Alessandro had requested, in this sleek upscale office: a wall of photos and selfies of every staff member.