Casa de la Misión

Casa de la Misión provides much-needed permanent supportive senior housing to San Francisco residents exiting homelessness. The unique challenge in developing the 45-unit community was providing comfortable and elegant homes on an extremely tight site of only .15 acres. The resulting design solves this dilemma using a highly efficient L-shaped plan that wraps around a small ground floor gathering courtyard. Open space is supplemented by a top-floor outdoor terrace with raised planters that simultaneously provides a pleasant recreational space with dynamic views to the Bernal Hill neighborhood while also stepping the mass down to the lower neighbors.

The community offers a variety of gathering spaces, including a lobby, meeting room, community room, and offices. The ground floor also offers retail space.

A rich treatment of the building’s base with shimmering tiles, awnings and colors enlivens the pedestrian experience. An important historic mural was remade to continue the artwork of Balmy Avenue, a center for street art, and laser-cut awnings and sunshades reflect the Latinx cultural heritage of this area through motifs drawn from papel picado, or Mexican paper cut-outs. The overall impact of the building is one of a fresh, contemporary facility which fits seamlessly into a lively historic neighborhood.