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San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco, California

The renovation of San Francisco's 1915 Beaux Art masterpiece included new lighting systems for all public and tenant areas as well as exterior façade lighting. Indirect lighting was provided for offices using high color rendering compact fluorescent sources for energy efficiency and long lamp life. The design of the new pendants was based on documentation of historic fixtures originally installed in the building. These fixtures provide comfortable and uniform light levels consistent with standards of modern office occupancy and use.

Historic fixtures throughout public areas were refurbished and restored. Special lighting systems and controls were installed in hearing rooms and courtroom to provide appropriate lighting for television broadcasts. The lighting design for the historic council chambers retained the existing historic fixtures and supplemental lighting was designed to have minimal impact on the historic fabric. Dramatic new lighting systems for the ornate rotunda and exterior facades were included in the renovation. Our work also included daylighting studies and recommendations for the restoration of original skylights.

The exterior façade lighting was part of an overall master plan to revitalize Civic Center Plaza. As part of the design process, computer renderings and field mock-ups were used to determine the proper intensities as well as lamp types and placement. The landmark building was illuminated with high efficiency metal halide sources including color corrected metal halide on the lower rotunda, upper rotunda and lantern. Higher wattage standard metal halide sources were used for lighting the refurbished lead and copper dome that rises 307 feet-tall above Civic Center Plaza - taller than the US Capitol. The use of grazing light highlights the details of decorative stonework and silhouettes the columns. The design intentionally emphasizes the mass, rhythm, strength and proportions of the classic Beaux Art architecture.

Special attention was paid to developing a lighting scheme that accounted for easy maintenance, glare control and the use of high efficiency sources with strict adherence to a limited budget. 

The City Hall's lighting design has been recognized with IALD and IIDA Awards of Merit.