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Slabtown - Phases 1-3 – ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Finalist
Learn more about 2025 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Finalist Slabtown - Phases 1-3 (Portland, Oregon).
Sister Lillian Murphy Community – ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Winner
May 12, 2025
Photo By BRUCE DAMONTE
View along China Basin Street, and location of main residential lobby. The corner stair tower establishes a sense of place and neighborhood landmark, and serves as the terminus of an urban view corridor extending down downtown San Francisco’s 5th Street.
Photo By BRUCE DAMONTE
Multi-level views facilitate connections throughout the site and to the surrounding community. Exterior circulation and lushly landscaped courtyards reinforce the importance of connection to nature for resident wellness.
Location: San Francisco, California
Developers: Mercy Housing California
Designers: Paulett Taggart Architects with Associate Architect Studio VARA; GLS Landscape | Architecture
Site Size: 1.1 Acres
Located at 691 China Basin Street in San Francisco’s Mission Bay district, Mercy Housing California’s Sister Lillian Murphy Community building ranges from 4 to 7 stories in height and offers 191,627 square feet of affordable family housing. Named in honor of Sister Lillian Murphy, a member of the Sisters of Mercy who founded the nonprofit affordable housing developer Mercy Housing, this community was developed to combat homelessness and family displacement due to rising housing costs. Sister Lillian was a leading advocate for women, children, and families, and this community stands as a testament to her legacy. This thoughtfully planned 152-unit building exceeds local environmental and equity requirements, earning Platinum Green Point Rated certification. Three years after completion, the Sister Lillian Murphy Community serves 430 residents with safe affordable homes and has become a community hub, hosting a childcare center, a music school, and indoor/outdoor spaces for gatherings.
Photo By PATRIK ARGAST
Multi-purpose community room is visually and physically connected to the outdoors via large expanses of glass and large sliding doors that allow events to expand from the multi-purpose community room to the courtyard.
The building’s design reflects feedback from the community, favoring inviting residential-scale architecture over large institutional buildings. The iconic corner stair tower serves as a landmark for a prominent urban view corridor extending through downtown San Francisco, while the building’s massing steps down to complement each street, harmonizing with the environment.
The Sister Lillian Murphy Community is situated in the Mission Bay South Redevelopment Area in San Francisco. Historically, Mission Bay was a shallow bay filled in the late 19th century and transformed into an industrial zone throughout the 20th century. The city began redeveloping the area from its previous use as a railyard, in 1998. A significant challenge to build in this location was the area’s actively sinking soil. To address this, Mercy Housing California and Paulett Taggart Architects designed the Sister Lillian Murphy Community with a foundation of piles extending over 200 feet to bedrock and structurally supported courtyard. Perimeter entry walks feature hinged slabs, buried steps, or unit pavers that can be adjusted to maintain alignment with sinking sidewalks, ensuring the community remains a long-standing feature of the redeveloped district. The design maximizes housing density while responding to the urban context, with four distinct wings creating small, identifiable communities within the block. Open-air bridges connect these wings, providing visual connections to the neighborhood.
Photo By BRUCE DAMONTE
Level 1 and Level 2 courtyards offer residents a variety of spaces to gather, sit and play. On the ground floor, the bike pavilion separates the resident courtyard from the Child Development Center play space.
Residents benefit from daily conveniences integrated into the design. The North and South lobbies provide access to on-site and neighborhood amenities, including public transit. The North Lobby offers access to the stair tower, Property Management offices, resident mailboxes, bike room, and garage. The South Lobby provides access to the Resident Services office, bike room, multipurpose room, teen lounge, and ground floor units.
The ground floor courtyard features a bike storage pavilion separating the residents’ open space from the Child Development Center play area, while the podium courtyard offers additional outdoor spaces. Two upper-level common laundry rooms are adjacent to common balconies. The Child Development Center faces Mission Bay Kids’ Park, and the Blue Bear School of Music faces Mission Bay Commons Park.
Photo By PATRIK AGARST
Along Mission Bay Boulevard, the south courtyard entry offers glimpses into the midblock courtyard and street access to the ground floor multipurpose room for community events. Above the courtyard entry gate, open air bridges offer residents visual connections to their neighborhood, and abundant access to natural ventilation and light.
From the moment you step foot on the property, it’s clear that the Sister Lillian Murphy Community was planned with intention from pre-development and design to construction and eventually welcoming its first smiling group of residents. A true beacon of advancement in affordable housing, it meets residents’ economic and social needs while creating a sustainable and resilient living environment that will last for generations.