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by cpeterso 5156 days ago
888 Brannan does not look anything like the pristine building pictured in the article. Why would they need to post a clearly 'shopped picture of a building that already exists unless they were hiding something?

The actual building's windows are all painted over and that tree in the foreground does not exist. The freeway overpass pictured just across the street is a homeless encampment strewn with shopping carts, human feces, and needles. The city comes by about once a month to hose the sidewalk down with a noxious bleach solution.

btw, 888 Brannan is just around the corner from Zynga and Adobe.
3 comments
ajross 5156 days ago
Presumably they'll be renovating and this is planning artwork from their architect. This is the equivalent of my sending my family concept sketches of my kitchen renovation. I can't imagine what they'd be "hiding".

Edit: this seems to be pretty close to the angle in the picture: http://g.co/maps/xj758

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Arelius 5156 days ago
Speaking from having met someone on the renovation project, That is indeed artwork from the architect, The building itself quite nice, but it's gone a bit to shit recently, the renovation is supposed to be rather impressive.
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samstave 5156 days ago
Exactly - there is a LOT of TI money to renovate for projects such as these.
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larrys 5156 days ago
"and this is planning artwork from their architect"

Good point but this appears to be the architect and the drawings on the website look nothing like the rendering that made the curbed story:

http://www.menaarchitects.com/portfolio/002_mixed_office_com...

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bastardsage 5156 days ago
"Airbnb has partnered up with the world-famous Gensler Architects (same folks who renovated Terminal 2) to design the space. The building is also going to seek LEED Silver certification"

Obviously, the picture is what the building will look like after renovations are done.

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larrys 5156 days ago
"the picture is what the building will look like after renovations are done."

Gensler is doing the interior for Airbnb. This is who is doing the building exterior:

http://www.menaarchitects.com/portfolio/002_mixed_office_com...

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encoderer 5156 days ago
This must be your first experience with architectural renderings.
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