North Beach Malt House Earns Residential Architect
MBH Architects has earned an Award of Merit in the Multifamily Housing
category of the 2004 residential architect design awards competition.
The North Beach Malt House in San Francisco was one of over 800 entries
among 24 categories in the awards program. The judges emphasized that
the multifamily category was especially strong with several impressive
entries.
The North Beach Malt House is an adaptive reuse and renovation of a century old historic seven-story industrial malt building into residential units and the design and construction of three new adjacent modern residential buildings. A landscaped courtyard composed of two remaining grain silos, innovative lighting, and a water flume recalling the original malting operations, acts as a connecting design element for the four residential structures. High quality materials of granite, stainless steel, hardwood floors and large windows create the perfect atmosphere for homeowners in this famous San Francisco district.
The project illustrates the importance of utilizing existing buildings for multifamily uses and to design contextual structures to create urban infill projects on scarce land. The buildings respect and enhance the site’s original purpose and signify an important step towards the rational use of buildings and land.