The Transbay Transit Center Project is a visionary transportation and housing project that transforms downtown San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay Area’s regional transportation system by creating a “Grand Central Station of the West” in the heart of a new transit-friendly neighborhood. The approximately $6 billion project will replace the former Transbay Terminal at First and Mission Streets in San Francisco with a modern regional transit hub connecting eight Bay Area counties and the State of California through 11 transit systems
An international design competition was used to select the Design and Development (“D/D”) Team for the Transit Center and Tower. The TJPA sought a D/D Team that would create a unique, world class Transit Center and Tower whose aesthetic, functional, and technical excellence are worthy of their position as the centerpiece of the Transbay Redevelopment Area and the focus of bus and rail transit for San Francisco, the Bay Area, and the State of California.
The process was conducted in two stages. In Stage I – Request for Qualifications, D/D Teams submitted qualifications packages that identified a Lead Designer to design both the Transit Center and Tower, a Development Entity for the Tower, and a full team of architectural, engineering, and other design and development professionals. In Stage II – Request for Proposals, invited D/D Teams submitted design and development proposals for the Transit Center and Tower.
The Jury selected, and the TJPA Board of Directors approved, the D/D Team of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and Hines. The design by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (PCPA) for the new Transit Center will feature a 5.4 acre park designed by PWP Landscape Architecture on the roof of the bus and rail station. The complementary transit tower designed by PCPA and developed by Hines will be built adjacent to the Transit Center and will provide additional financing for the project.