Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 18 august 2017
New tower fuels concerns over changing face of San Francisco

By LINDA WANG Kate Borden, a 17-year
Associated Press San Francisco resident,
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — has become a fan as she’s
More than 60 stories above watched the tower go up
the ground, construction from her apartment win-
workers climb makeshift dow.
stairs and cross narrow “It actually ends up reflect-
steel planks to put the fin- ing the sunset, and I think
ishing touches on Sales- it’s really beautiful,” said
force Tower, now San Fran- Borden, 37.
cisco’s tallest building. Salesforce Tower and Los
The $1.1 billion skyscraper Angeles’ Wilshire Grand
has already changed the Center are competing for
city’s skyline, dwarfing old the title of “tallest building
favorites like Coit Tower west of Chicago,” a desig-
and the Transamerica Pyr- nation the Council on Tall
amid. Unlike in New York or Buildings and Urban Habi-
Chicago, the new 1,070- tat has yet to award.
foot (326-meter) high-rise is The 1,100-foot (335-meter)
a gargantuan presence in Los Angeles high-rise wins
San Francisco. by sheer height, but some
But Salesforce Tower and In this photo taken Saturday, July 22, 2107, the setting sun is reflected on the Salesforce Tower in argue its 295-foot (90-me-
a massive adjoining transit the San Francisco skyline in this view from Sausalito, Calif. Associated Press ter) decorative spire
center also embody a larg- shouldn’t count.
er transition in this liberal mayor and U.S. Sen. Dianne Center opens, developers passengers on an average The top of Salesforce Tow-
West Coast city — one that Feinstein has said she’s an- estimate the bus, train and weekday. er has generated con-
pits the technology indus- noyed the skyscraper soars promised high-speed rail “Cities evolve and change troversy of its own, with
try against San Francisco’s far above the downtown station will serve 100,000 and grow everywhere in nine unoccupied floors set
charming neighborhoods. height limits she pushed for
Tech giant Salesforce. in the 1970s and ‘80s.
com, which provides on- Salesforce Tower is more
line software for business, than 200 feet (60 meters)
bought the naming rights taller than the Transamer-
to the 61-story steel and ica Pyramid, which previ-
concrete building, adding ously was San Francisco’s
to concerns that the tech tallest building.
economy is steamrolling “A lot of people think that
through the city. the city’s defining char-
“All the tech and people acteristics are the hills, the
the industry is bringing in water and the blue skies,”
. you can work two jobs said John King, urban de-
and barely make a living sign critic for the San Fran-
for your rent and other cisco Chronicle.
costs,” said Saul Ramirez, Salesforce will occupy
25, who commutes over an more than half of the
hour daily to his San Fran- building’s square footage,
cisco restaurant job from while consulting and in-
San Pablo after high rent vestment powerhouses like
pushed him from the city. Bain & Company, CBRE
Salesforce Tower is City and Accenture will lease In this image depiction provided by LED artist Jim Campbell, the outline of two dancers captured
Hall’s golden child, but the a portion of the remain- mid-motion is displayed on the nine-story electronic art installation atop the $1.1 billion Salesforce
Tower under construction in San Francisco.
edifice has had to defend ing space. When the con- Associated Press
itself from the start. Former necting Salesforce Transit
the world,” said Boston aside as canvas for LED
Properties senior project artist Jim Campbell to dis-
manager Mirjam Link, not- play low-resolution images
ing the corporate high-rise captured throughout the
will house up to 6,000 em- day by cameras placed
ployees after construction around the city.
wraps up in October. The electronic art display
Fred Werner, lead instruc- will be like a “carnival in
tor of the Architectural the sky,” said San Fran-
Foundation of San Francis- cisco Planning Commis-
co, said he loves both the sioner Kathrin Moore, who
city’s natural landscape believes the art makes the
and its skyline. high-rise look like a chil-
San Francisco still has dren’s playground.
many areas with strict Link believes criticism of the
height limits, and concen- building will wane once
trating growth in urban the lights go on.
In this photo taken Tuesday, July 11, 2017, the Salesforce Tower, at right, is seen along the skyline centers is the best way to “Everybody will love the
beyond the “Painted Ladies” Victorian homes in San Francisco. accommodate an influx of tower,” Link said. “The art is
Associated Press people, Werner said. amazing.”q