KQED breaks ground on major renovations for its headquarters

After more than 25 years at Mariposa and Bryant in the Mission, KQED broke ground on a new renovation plans for its headquarters at 2601 Mariposa.

The NPR and PBS affiliate’s old, nearly windowless headquarters will be stripped to its bones to make way for a glassy, cube-fronted concept conceived by EHDD Architecture.

“We want to peel up the facade and invite people in,” Rebecca Sharkey, principal at EHDD, told San Francisco Chronicle urban design critic John King in January. “KQED told us from the start they want to make themselves more visible to the community and open up about what public media does.”

KQED beamed over its new space, saying, “The dynamic glass facade of the new headquarters reflects KQED’s commitment to transparency. The lifted corner entry, the expanded new lobby and new programming spaces, including a rooftop event space, create a vibrant and welcoming place to convene, connect, and engage with all that KQED does.”

Similar to other new downtown buildings, primarily leased by tech giants like LinkedIn and Salesforce, KQED’s space will come equipped with a public-gathering area with wooden amphitheater seating.

The main entrance will also move from mid-block to the corner of Mariposa and Bryant. And the building’s expansion will be able to accommodate up to 40 percent more workforce growth. (KQED currently has roughly 450 members on its workforce.)

Other details include a larger newsroom and studio, a commons area that will host live events, and an outdoor terrace adorning the top floor.

Expected to take two years to complete, the project will cost approximately $91 million.