an update from the weekend's wanderings...
well, suddenly there is a bit more to be talking about around here...
starting with the familiar, though, the landscaping in front and around the CVRB is more complete, including the ground around the palms. here looking roughly east from 4th:
... so that stretch of South MB Blvd over to Third may open up again soon. I really like how all the colors in the space come together, especially the reddish-brown of the trunks of the palms against the metallic-blue glass, and flashes of green high and low.
across 4th the other half of the UCSF entry is also complete. beyond it to the west still lie the MB Wastes, but even those may be having a little order imposed on them. here looking down what will be Mission Bay Blvd South, the south side of the Commons, ending in the distance at the under-construction roundabout (which is for the time being still just a series of now-more-sifted dirt-piles).
IMG_4465 by
timbad, on Flickr
speaking of the Commons, over in front of Bayer/Nektar things are coming right along. on the east end the paving stones are just about all in. I'm not sure the pic gives the impression effectively, but I was pleased to note that, standing on one side of the little lane that runs between one section of the Commons and the next, I still felt the sense of continuity between the two sections. I think the designers did a good job with the narrowness of the lane, the fact that it is not paved in asphalt, and that there is no curb (the Commons sidewalks are flush with the roadway, as you can see), so as a pedestrian I think one will feel that that space belongs more to you than to any car that happens along. we'll have to see how traffic patterns shape up through all those little backstreets when everything is all built out, but for now I'm giving a provisional thumbs-up!
IMG_4477 by
timbad, on Flickr
you can also see that altho the grass is not in yet, the sandy drainage layer is being spread, so hopefully it won't be too long.
another shot of the paving from the south side, where light-poles still need to be emplaced:
IMG_4478 by
timbad, on Flickr
again from the south looking across toward the Radiance site, you can see that benches and some lighting have gone in (even a drinking fountain had already been installed)...
IMG_4481 by
timbad, on Flickr
looking north along the Third St sidewalk:
IMG_4483 by
timbad, on Flickr
here looking back east from across Third. (taking advantage of the knocked-over fence to get the clearer shot):
IMG_4489 by
timbad, on Flickr
and speaking of Radiance IIa, my impression is that most of the construction activity is on the south side of the parcel, where the tallest part of the project will be. (I've actually wondered why they put the tall part on that side, since it will keep the inner courtyard in shadow most of the time). this is at the southeast corner:
IMG_4486 by
timbad, on Flickr
and, speaking of height in Mission Bay, pile-driving has gotten into gear again behind Bayer/Nektar! they've had the back of the east half of the building opened up for the last few weeks, maybe moving Bayer in, but it's all zipped up now and all the staged stuff is cleared away, so they are able to get back to work on the new site! or maybe that was the pause that WildCowboy mentioned between indicator piles and the real thing. anyway, this is what things look like from the roof of the South St garage:
IMG_4491 by
timbad, on Flickr
btw, in the renderings of the two buildings together, I like that the new one, being just green and white, will tend to dilute the orangey elements of the first building. I think the overall effect will be an improvement.
in other news, as I mentioned briefly at the beginning, they are working hard over at the roundabout, but it still doesn't look much different than a few weeks ago: the piles seem to shift, but basically a lot of dirt.
they also continue to work on the medical center site, but nothing of note to photograph yet.
but, we are back up to - count 'em - probably three major new buildings underway, with the neurosciences one, Radiance, and the Alexandria one. plus the major roundabout streetwork, and the Commons. I'll give that a
too!!