1500 Mission Street was New Hudson Facade’s first project on the West Coast.

“For New Hudson Facades, it’s a story of adapt, adapt, adapt for our clients no matter the situation,” relates an NHF project manager. From building during a pandemic to a tricky lighting system to rail shipping, NHF figured it all out. The city of San Francisco Planning, Building and Public Works Departments moved to a new 460,000-square foot, 16 story headquarters building on Mission Street in 2021.

A significant challenge was the integrated electrochromic glass system. There were more than 2,000 exterior panels providing both shading and a subtle glow to the building. If one panel didn’t work, the whole system didn’t work, so New Hudson Facades created a rigorous five-point quality process to verify each panel was operational upon arrival, staging, and installation.

Another highlight of the building is a massive graphic of the city’s official seal at the street level, created in collaboration with a local graphic designer. Placing this element between the glass panels required precision planning and fabrication since every detail is visible at eye level.