C O M M U N I T Y   S E R V I C E                  Walden House

Adaptive re-use of a former warehouse into offices

18,500 sf, 520 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA

Walden House, dedicated to providing treatment services for local drug and alcohol addiction, started out 35 years ago as a modest San Francisco non-profit that now helps more than 3,400 people each day. A former electrical warehouse, the wooden structure was seismically retro-fitted and transformed into headquarters facilities for Walden House, including a new logo and façade that provided a sense of depth to the enterprise.  The sculptural ambitions for the project were channeled into a low cost awning solution that presented a large floating entry canopy at the street underscoring the message of shelter to the public.