1 De Haro
an SKS Partners development
Designed by Perkins&Will | Pfau Long, 1 De Haro is located
While developed in Europe over 20 years ago, CLT is becoming
at the intersection of San Francisco’s SOMA, Potrero Hill,
an emerging building material in the United States. The 1 De
and Showplace Square districts and will be a 4-story, 60-ft
Haro project is pioneering the use of CLT, creating an important
tall building when completed. The ground floor will be built
step for the City of San Francisco toward the use of more
from concrete, offering 20-foot tall ceilings and a welcoming
sustainable building materials. 1 De Haro showcases how the
mezzanine space, while the upper floors will be constructed out
development of future building code cycles in 2023 will allow
of mass timber.
the use of CLT and other mass timber materials for structures up to 18 stories.
Mass timber is an engineered wood product involving the lamination and compression of multiple layers to create solid
Construction on 1 De Haro started in 2019 and, once ďŹ nished,
wood columns and beams (known as glulam), and panels (known
this project will be the ďŹ rst mass timber building in San
as cross-laminated timber or CLT). CLT is one of many mass
Francisco to use CLT and the first multi-story building of its
timber framing subsets where layered dimensional lumber
type in California.
boards are set at right angles to one another and laminated to create panels used in floor, roof and wall assemblies. Not only
Mass timber was added to the California Building Code in 2016,
do the resulting panels have a comparable structural capacity
but that code addition limits a mass timber building to just 6
to concrete, the manufacturing process is also quite sustainable
floors or under 85 feet in building height.
and allows for exposed panels with a beautiful, warm, natural wood finish.
Design Quality ••
Natural wood finish adds visual warmth to the space.
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Biophilic qualities of wood connect us to nature.
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Natural wood grain adds texture and interest to surfaces.
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Exposed wood surfaces add visual beauty to the space and requires fewer finishes.
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Structural expression of wood elements is familiar and comforting.
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Test results show that CLT building systems provide beneficial noise control for both airborne and impact sound transmission, which creates a calm work environment for users. Photo Credit: Adrien Williams
Sustainability Wood is the only renewable structural material. By utilizing mass timber, 1 De Haro will have a dramatically reduced construction carbon footprint versus a concrete or steel building.
Volume of wood products used: 81,965 cubic feet
Total potential carbon benefit: 2,505 metric tons Equivalent to:
U.S. and Canadian forests grow this much wood in: 6 minutes
530 cars off the road for a year
Carbon stored in the wood: 1,806 metric tons
Avoided greenhouse gas emissions: 699 metric tons
Energy to operate 265 homes for a year
Performance Safety
Precision
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CLT structures are designed to the same one-hour interior
CLT panels are fabricated to the millimeter with
and two-hour exterior burn rate, equal to standard concrete
sophisticated CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines
design and even outperforming unprotected steel.
allowing for precise installation in the field.
The VOCs of glue are minimized as each CLT panel uses
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less than one percent by volume of the wood panel.
The fabrication precision results in little to no job site waste. Plus, manufacturers can reuse fabrication scraps for other wood products or as biofuel.
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Adhesives are formaldehyde free.
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The lighter weight of the wood structure results in lower seismic forces in the building during an earthquake.
Flexibility ••
Speed ••
CLT structures can also be erected more quickly than their concrete counterparts.
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The lighter load results in a reduced foundation cost.
For tenant improvements, CLT allows for cutting holes in panels, which removes the additional costs of scanning for rebar or post tensioning when cutting holes in concrete.
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These cross-sectional pieces interact in a way that can take on all gravity loading elements in all directions, making CLT a structurally robust material.
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Mass timber details from the new 1 De Haro building.
Healthy Work Environments ••
Research has shown that a connection to nature is associated with improved physical and mental well-being.
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As we spend more and more time indoors, we have limited opportunities to interact with nature in every day life.
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As a result, it has become increasingly important to simulate nature in the built environment through the use of wood and biophilic design.
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Mass timber brings natural elements inside, creating a warmer, more comfortable work environment.
Photo Credit: Stéphane Groleau
History The property at 1 De Haro has been owned by the same San Francisco family for over 95 years. The current owner’s grandfather started the San Francisco Gravel Company there in the 1920s and the business was operated continuously by three generations. In 2014, the family approached SKS Partners to develop the site as a joint venture partner. Once complete, the new 1 De Haro building will provide 4-stories of mixed-use space: office uses on the upper floors and light industrial uses on the ground floor and mezzanine space.
Developer
Architect
Structural Engineer
General Contractor
Mass Timber Sub.