Bay Area Metro Center

The Bay Area Metro Center renovation at 375 Beale transformed a 1940s-era military warehouse into a modern, welcoming workspace serving four major Bay Area agencies: the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

Outdoor terraces and a new atrium were carved from the existing structure through the selective removal of concrete columns, walls, and roof. GLS collaborated with Perkins + Will and TEF Architects to establish the location and informal language of the landscape spaces and the bright architectural frame, allowing for the finishing of the demolished concrete and clearly designating the new work in relation to the old.

To magnify the impact of the small but spectacularly located outdoor terraces, GLS extended the landscape language into the interior staff lounge, using the same paving materials and details, and introducing subtropical indoor plants to create continuity with the exterior wind-tolerant plantings. The eighth-floor terrace offers agency workers a rooftop refuge, merging indoors and outdoors with striking Bay Bridge views.

The greatest challenge was to provide a vibrant, lush landscape over a WWII-era structure with significant weight and drainage limitations, constraining the terrace to only 6–18 inches of soil depth. The result is a dynamic, light-filled environment where nature and architecture are seamlessly integrated.