Designed in 1931 for Henry Ford by Albert Kahn, the 525,000-square-foot Ford Assembly Building on the San Francisco Bay waterfront sat fallow for many years. The restoration and preservation of this crumbling but historic structure transformed the space into a mixed-use, multitenant facility that now accommodates industrial, office, and retail spaces.
Jury: “This renovated facility has improved the region by saving an older building and its embodied energy.”
Client: “The design is elegant. It derives important lessons from the original architect, Albert Kahn, while at the same time refreshing and modernizing that design. And we were able to build it out at a fraction of the cost of a new structure. The building became immediately 100 percent leased and the tenants love their spaces.” —Eddie Orton, Orton Development
