Architect Jeanne Gang has ideas to rebuild San Francisco back to its 'golden era'
Gang is featured in the new ABC7 special "Towering Figure: Jeanne Gang," now streaming.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Driving across the Bay Bridge, you've likely noticed a spiraling, white high-rise with dynamic twists and turns. The MIRA Tower was created by the same creative genius that's behind The St. Regis Chicago, the world's tallest building designed by a woman.
Jeanne Gang is a global architect that's making her mark in the Bay Area, and she has some ideas on how to rebuild San Francisco.
Gang is featured in the new ABC7 special "Towering Figure: Jeanne Gang," now streaming.
Towering Figure: How architect Jeanne Gang reshaped Chicago's spectacular skyline | WATCH
"There's a lot of attention now being made to what kind of programs, what kind of activities can be brought into the buildings at the ground-level if they're losing retail or if they're losing, you know, population," says Gang.
She says it is a "blueprint" designed to bring San Francisco back to its "golden era."
Gang is one of the world's leading architects.
She's the creative genius behind The Mira: the eye-catching, twisting tower that dazzles in the skyline. Gang has dedicated her life to building. Her portfolio includes skyscrapers, boardwalks, and community centers. But in San Francisco, the emphasis is on rebuilding.
"The city will turn around eventually, but there needs to be real attention to more housing. It's like many cities, it needs more housing," says Gang.
MORE: New 840-foot building could be coming to downtown SF, city says more could follow it
Housing is a critical issue in the City by the Bay. The recent exodus of retailers and workers has left downtown streets peppered with empty office buildings and boarded-up storefronts. But Gang remains optimistic.
"It needs safe space. This is so important for cities. It's like in New York and the subway, for example, when no one's riding it, it feels less safe than when people really just embrace it," says Gang. "So we have to make sure that our infrastructure is working at capacity so that people feel comfortable using it and that's already like a step to making it safer."
San Francisco's neighbor Silicon Valley is a hub for innovation and creativity. Gang believes it will take creative solutions to help turn around the city's housing crisis.
That includes repurposing commercial properties for residential use.
MORE: SF office to housing conversions would likely take 10 years to make a dent, expert says
"When we design something from scratch, even thinking of the reversibility of it, how could it be made into more easily made into some other use in the future? So that makes the city more resilient as well. Just the ability to change and evolve," said Gang.
In the heart of Silicon Valley lies another big project for gang. She is designing the new Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University.
"They really want to have an impact and help find solutions for climate change," said Gang.
Gang says she is doing her part in finding solutions creating sustainable buildings and collaborative communities.
"We see climate change is more and more visible and it's impacting everyone. There's social issues, there's polarization in our society. Acting or doing something every day that is addressing these issues helps me feel more positive toward what we can do as a society working together," said Gang.
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