Kapuso at the Upper Yard San Francisco homes photos, Outer Mission district apartments, WA residential design
November 16, 2025
Architects: Mithun
Location: Upper Yard, Outer Mission district, San Francisco, northern California, USA
AIA 2025 Residential Design Award Recipient
photo : Tom Fitzgerald
Photos below by Bruce Damonte & Tom Fitzgerald
Kapuso at the Upper Yard, San Francisco, California, USA
Located in San Francisco’s Outer Mission district, Kapuso at the Upper Yard transforms a former parking lot into a vibrant, mixed-use development, demonstrating the potential of affordable housing design to amplify both climate strategy and social benefit.
Originally planned at a smaller scale, the project doubled in size in response to community advocacy, ultimately providing 131 affordable homes for low-income families over a richly programmed ground floor that frames a new public open space serving residents and commuters. Strategically located next to the Balboa Park BART station, the development leverages transit access to connect residents to the broader city.
The building responds to its context through two distinct facades. On the west, the sweeping, undulating form engages with the scale of Interstate 280, while on the east, the massing respects the proportions of surrounding single-family homes, anchoring the structure to the neighborhood’s residential character.
A welcoming entry garden offers a transition from the street, leading to a sheltered courtyard and a dramatic community room at the heart of the complex.
Double-height apertures from the community room offer sweeping views of the transit plaza and activate social connections within the building, while transparent ground-floor uses—including childcare, a community resource center, youth arts programs, and a bike-share station—link residents to the neighborhood. Public art by a local artist further celebrates the identity of this diverse, working-class community.
Kapuso is also a model of sustainable design. The building features a fossil-fuel-free system, high-performance insulation, MERV 13 filtered ventilation, and healthy interior materials to optimize air quality and comfort.
The building envelope, with enhanced glazing rated for a sound transmission class of 40, and efficient systems deliver an EUI of 16 kBtu/SF/yr, while rooftop renewable energy reduces operational carbon by 75% below the US national average, meeting the 2030 Challenge. A strategic approach to embodied carbon further reduces environmental impact through a concrete mix with 59% lower global warming potential than the regional average.
At its core, Kapuso transforms a windswept, underutilized lot into an integrated neighborhood resource, balancing climate-conscious design, social connectivity, and affordability. The project creates meaningful internal and external spaces for families, fosters community, and sets a precedent for how affordable housing can engage both its immediate context and the city at large.
Kapuso at the Upper Yard, San Francisco – Building Information
Project Title: Kapuso at the Upper Yard
Location: San Francisco, CA
Architect / Interior Designer: Mithun
Landscape Architect of Record for BART Plaza: Merril Morris Partners
Collaborators:
Civil Engineering: Luk & Asociates
Structural Engineering: Mar Structural Design
MEP: Engineering350
Lighting: Banks Landl Lighting Design
Acoustics: Charles M. Salter Associates, Inc
General Contractor: Cahill Contractors
Gross Floor Area: 170,000 sf; 0.7 acre
Sustainable Metrics: Architecture 2030, Compliant; GreenPoint Rated, Targeted
Status: Completed 2023
Photographer: Bruce Damonte & Tom Fitzgerald
2025 AIA California Residential Design Award – recognized for its “thoughtful response to a brutal site” and described as “a well-done affordable housing project realized through a well.
Kapuso at the Upper Yard, San Francisco housing images / information received 151125
Address: Mission Bay, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
San Francisco Building Designs
San Francisco Architecture Designs – chronological list
San Francisco Architecture News
San Francisco Housing Design on e-architect:
HomeRise, Mission Bay, San Francisco Housing
Architecture: LEDDY MAYTUM STACY Architects
photo : Bruce Damonte
Edwin M. Lee Apartments, Mission Bay neighborhood
Design: Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Saida + Sullivan Design Partners
++
San Francisco Building Designs – selection:
San Francisco Centre, 865 Market Street
Architecture: 10 Design
image courtesy of architects practice
The Canyon tower building, San Francisco waterfront
Design: MVRDV
San Francisco Architecture Tours
+++
California Architecture
California Architecture : building images
+++
American Architectural Designs
American Architectural Designs – recent selection from e-architect:
America Architecture News – latest building updates
American Architecture : major developments + designs
Comments / photos for the Kapuso at the Upper Yard, San Francisco housing designed by Mithun architects at the Outer Mission district, SF, CA, USA, page welcome.