Project Page Kirkham
What makes a project local?
Kirkham
SITELAB urban studio is working with Panoramic Interests on 500 Kirkham, the first residential project at the West Oakland BART station.
Today the area is amidst a positive transformation, but the site has key challenges in its development: the station area is underutilized and the public realm prioritizes vehicles and is in need of activation. Our team’s vision anchors the project in its unique context of cultural and industrial history with design strategies and programming that will support the creative economy of West Oakland.
7th Street, a main boulevard in West Oakland, was once known as the Harlem of the West due to its legacy and high concentration of jazz and blues performance halls.
Location / Date:
Oakland, CA / 2018
Status:
Approved
Site area:
3 acres
Program:
1,032 housing units
13,500 sf commercial space
Client:
Panoramic Interests
Design Collaborators:
Solomon Cordwell Buenz Architects, Lowney Architects, Einwiller Kuehl, Ubban Planning Partners
The project repositions 7th Street through thoughtful design and activation strategies that celebrate its rich history, while also ensuring that the project becomes a destination for West Oakland’s local residents.
Two unique retail alleys --- designed and programmed to provide on-site services and amenities for residents --- cultivate opportunities for businesses, micro retailers, and incubator spaces to support the thriving West Oakland creative community. The eclectic mix of proposed uses, materials, facade design, and signage bring a human scale to the alleys. Coupling the site’s industrial and cultural past, 500 Kirkham has the ability to create a physical and social transformation for the area.
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