SB Architects' Award-Winning Design for The 88 Raises the Bar in Silicon Valley SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 20
SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The 88, San Jose's newest
high-rise residential tower, is now complete -- a monumental step in the
resurgence of this city's downtown. At just under 88 meters, The 88 is the
tallest residential building between San Francisco and Los Angeles, standing
one foot taller than the new city hall just blocks away and making a dramatic
impact on the city's changing skyline.
Last month, just one day before the first residents moved in on October
24th, The 88 swept the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal's annual
Structures Awards. The project was named "Design Project of the Year," and was
the runner up in the "Mixed-Use Project of the Year" and "Community Impact
Project of the Year" categories.
Designed by San Francisco-based SB Architects, The 88 juxtaposes a
graceful, residential tower with a mid-rise, mixed-use structure below. The
197 for-sale residences enjoy panoramic views of the city and the valley
beyond, and overlook private amenities -- a pool, fitness center, terrace and
outdoor lounge, entertaining center and billiards room --located on the
podium. A ground level pedestrian plaza flanked by shops and restaurants will
provide a central spine and gathering place between The 88 and a planned
second tower. Five levels of parking, three subterranean and two above the
street-front retail, serve 32,000 square feet of retail, as well as the 20
floors of residential development.
"To respond to the challenge of creating a signature tower, while
remaining under the height limit in downtown San Jose, we came up with a tower
design that combines two interlocking masses -- one glass, to take advantage
of views of the surrounding hills, and one concrete, to provide a sense of
solidity and connection to the mixed-use structure below," says Tom Sprinkle,
vice president and principal of SB Architects. On the roof, an angled cap with
a sheer white surface on its largest side cloaks roof-top infrastructure
systems and provides a contrasting element to complement the angles and
vertical lines of the 22 floors below.
"The distinctive architecture of The 88 is a statement to the region that
downtown San Jose is coming into its own," says Seth Bland, project manager
and partner at Wilson Meany Sullivan, developers of the project.
The first of four new high-rise residential structures currently on the
rise in downtown San Jose, The 88 not only changes the city's skyline, it
brings a whole new type of living to the Silicon Valley. Located just blocks
from the San Jose State University, the San Jose Museum of Art, the Tech
Museum of Innovation, downtown theaters and restaurants, the new tower is also
located directly adjacent to the city's light rail system. All together, the
city's four new high-rise projects will bring 853 new residences to downtown.
After years of planning, San Jose is joining cities all over the country
in promoting the redevelopment of their downtowns to offer a distinctly urban
lifestyle. "In terms of residential, this is the first time we've seen this
kind of density in downtown. This represents a change in how people live,"
says John Weis, of the city's redevelopment agency.
The 88 represents a joint effort by San Francisco-based Wilson Meany
Sullivan and Stockbridge Funds, Hollywood-based CIM Group, and the San Jose
Redevelopment Agency to turn this suburban downtown into a major urban
destination on par with its ranking as the tenth most populous city in the
nation. HKS Architects acted as executive architect for the project.
In nearly fifty years of practice, SB Architects has built a reputation
for excellence in the planning and design of large-scale multi-family
residential, mixed-use, hotel, resort and vacation ownership projects. For the
past three years, the firm has been listed among the fastest-growing companies
in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the fastest-growing architecture and
engineering firms in the country. The firm's portfolio of work includes
projects throughout the United States, in Mexico, South America, the
Caribbean, the Mediterranean, China, Indonesia, Egypt and the Middle East.
Known for site-sensitive, contextually-appropriate design, SB Architects has
received nearly 200 awards for design excellence.
SOURCE SB Architects
