SFPUC southeast plant Headworks facility
The new Headworks facility continues San Francisco Public Utility Commission’s Wastewater Treatment Campus redesign. The Headworks facility, serving as the preliminary intake for the treatment process, required a significant transformation with modernized upgrades. Supporting SFPUC’s mission, the new facility seamlessly integrates the high-function process equipment into the site while providing the surrounding community with a refined aesthetic for a resource they can be proud of.
PROJECT CONTACT
LOCATION
San Francisco, CA
OWNER
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
SIZE
44,808 SF
COMPLETED
2025
SUSTAINABLE ELEMENTS
Envision Platinum
PHOTOGRAPHER
David Papazian
FUTURE-FORWARD DESIGN
Inset from the public edge, the reorganized site carefully considers its surroundings and recontextualizes the facility as it looks towards the future.
The art installation Whorl Whirl: Our Circular Nature by Norie Sato softens the public-facing exterior and provides a visually distinct element that distances technical spaces from the community interface. The display provides the outside with an inward, abstract look at the facility and its water intake and treatment process.
Broad skylights provides staff with ample natural light in work spaces. The adjustable glass can be temporarily removed to allow for large equipment to be more easily moved into the space, providing the facility with future flexibility and ease of maintenance.
In addition to providing natural light, the wide windows provide staff with a clear view of the scenic San Francisco hillsides.
The cast-in-place concrete structure balances durability with a deliberate aesthetic that strategically uses considerate reveals while seizing opportunities for moments of light and transparency.
A UNIFIED CAMPUS AESTHETIC
The Headworks facility maintains the new campus mandate of a unified aesthetic across facilities with diverse functionality. This includes the zinc panel cladding for all vertical circulation elements, large purposeful windows, and consistent materials and styles throughout the structure.
