Swissnex at Pier 17

Where Switzerland Meets the Bay Area

client

Swiss Consulate; Swissnex
location

San Francisco, CA
size

27,700 SF

Situated at the eastern end of historic Pier 17, this project unites multiple Swiss entities and partners under one roof, establishing a dynamic, innovation-driven gateway between Switzerland and the Bay Area across diplomacy, business, research, and the arts.

Cultivating Creative Exchange

Bright open office with exposed white trusses, plywood partitions, desks, plants, and people working and having a conversation in the aisle.

Open office with a repurposed gondola cabin used as a meeting room, surrounded by workstations, model airplanes, and people working and talking.

Three people adding ideas to a wall mural of the San Francisco skyline under the prompt “How do you imagine working in the future?”

Open office with a plywood-clad mezzanine, exposed white trusses, black metal stair, shared desks, and people working beneath tall waterfront windows.

Long shared table leading into a bright open office with plywood-clad rooms, glass sliding doors, exposed white trusses, and people working in the background.

Open office with plywood-clad meeting rooms, glass-walled conference space, exposed white roof structure, desks, and lounge seating.

A Hub for Swiss–Bay Area Collaboration

Establishing a “Swiss House” on the Bay, the project serves as a nexus of Swiss diplomacy, education, business, and innovation – including the Consulate General of Switzerland – and a shared vision for accelerating knowledge-sharing across borders. Reflecting the nonconformist creativity and courageous inquiry shared by Switzerland and the Bay Area, the space provides a living platform for partnership, connecting diplomats, researchers, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders in an environment designed for incubation and cross-disciplinary exchange.

Modern consular service area with glass-fronted visa counters, a small waiting area, and an exposed white ceiling with industrial lighting.

Designed to Adapt, Built to Inspire

The interior buildout is designed to support multiple modes of use, consolidating a range of workspaces, including a visa and passport center, flexible exhibition, gallery and meeting spaces, and startup incubation facilities. Leveraging the structure’s soaring space, open work areas face water views, with pavilion-like rooms that divide the main space into distinct work and collaboration zones. A dramatic operable glass garage door at the pier’s edge opens the main gathering space directly to the Bay, creating a one-of-a-kind setting for dialogue and exchange.

High-ceilinged waterfront workspace with exposed white trusses, plywood workstations, a large shared table, and an open garage door framing a view of the bay and a sailboat.

Exterior view of a waterfront office building at dusk with a large open garage-style door revealing a bright workspace, plywood desks, and seating inside.

Historic Pier Rehabilitation

Working within the constraints of the US Secretary of the Interior standards for Historic and the Port of San Francisco requirements that the structure remain unchanged, the design team delivered extensive core and shell improvements on a highly restricted budget, including new storefront systems, mechanical and electrical infrastructure, accessibility upgrades, and a newly insulated roof system. Original roof trusses, beams, and columns were left exposed and undisturbed, honoring the pier’s industrial heritage while preparing it for a bold new use.