Condition 1: What once blended in now stands out When an ordinary building becomes exceptional Normative vs the non-normative Before commercial high-rises and housing blocks were the norm for urban housing, the simple one- or two- storey house was what most of the United States lived in.These solid, modest, timber-constructed houses were no less the norm in San Francisco.As the city grew and suburbs were formed, few remnants of these building types remained in the downtown area. Most of SoMa district, just as in all major cities in the world, has given way to large- and mid-scale development which now dwarfs the buildings surrounding them. However, this phenomenon of overtaking the skyline has ended up leaving the smaller, older buildings as novel outliers – the last man standing, if you will. If for nothing other than their contrast, these buildings, which once blended in with their surroundings, now stand out as artefacts of a different time.The higher and larger surrounding buildings get, the more these small outliers stand out – ironic, given the massive amounts of funding behind the larger developments, all hoping to be noticed. Simply by persevering amidst the tide of change, these outlier buildings have become exceptional, in many cases stealing the precious spotlight.
15 Guy Place
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Aaron Levine
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