Travel Log : San Francisco

...continued from previous post. The Mission District in the city, especially along Valencia Street, is a hip and funky neighborhood just like DC's 14th Street corridor. Vintage shops, cool restaurants, independent designer's storefronts, and some new innovative architecture make this place a must see. The following townhouse is really sleek in it's use of modern materials and how they are implemented to define the varied massing. Commercial and industrial finishes are softened by simple bamboo stalks and a more human scale to the overall composition by the use of plenty of outdoor spaces. Here the old and the new can each stand on their own merit, while giving nods to each other by way of massing and bay structures. This is a great example of how modern architecture next to historic architecture adds interest to the neighborhood, rather than diminishing its significance.