San Francisco Public Works’ in‑house bureau presents civic projects, archives and homelessness solutions

Julia Lowey, principal architect and bureau manager for the San Francisco Public Works Bureau of Architecture (BOA), presented an overview of the bureau’s mission, organization, and representative civic projects to the California Architects Board.

Lowey said BOA has about 72 in‑house architectural staff and described five roles the bureau fills: client for city capital projects, advocate for design excellence, catalyst for public architects, teacher/mentor through internships, and steward of archives and standards. "We are the only department like this in the country that has an architectural firm who do in house architectural work," Lowey said, describing BOA’s blended model of in‑house work and substantial contracting to private A/E firms for larger projects.

She reviewed historical context for San Francisco Public Works, showed examples of archival drawings and an ongoing scanning program (tens of thousands of sheets scanned since 2018), and highlighted recent and upcoming projects: the new Southeast Family Health Center, a major Chinatown clinic renovation tied to bond funding, navigation centers and tiny cabin alternatives for homelessness response, adaptive reuse projects (War Memorial Veterans Building and an animal care and control reuse project), transit work (Van Ness BRT canopies and BART station enclosures), community facilities (Southeast community facility and gardens), and rec center and library renovations. Lowey emphasized resiliency standards (LEED Gold minimum, 100% electrification on new major projects, and net‑zero targets by 2040) and a focus on mass timber projects.

Board members thanked Lowey and asked detailed questions about this building’s seismic retrofit, base isolation, and whether BOA operates facilities after design; Lowey clarified that sponsoring city agencies operate most facilities, while BOA serves as the project delivery / design team for those clients. Members suggested BOA seek greater public exposure for its work and recommended outreach and award programs to highlight public-sector architecture.

Lowey also noted BOA’s archival scanning and intern program that provides hands‑on construction administration experience, and she cited collaboration with local LBEs (local business enterprises) and master as‑needed contracting that enables local small firm participation.

No board action resulted from the presentation; members asked staff to consider more outreach and to include examples in BOA’s public materials.