Shift

Vision

East Village has always been known as the Arts and Industry pocket of San Diego. This reputation was heavily defined by Bob Sinclair, a local legend and entrepreneur who founded numerous beloved coffee shops and restaurants housed in old industrial buildings that he would buy and revitalize. In addition to collecting retired buildings, Bob collected industrial equipment left over from East Village’s previous inhabitants, items that one can still find scattered throughout the neighborhood as sculptures and urban accents that energize the area and connect it to its past.

The goal of this development was to pay homage to the community’s rich history and recognize the contributions of Bob Sinclair to the area’s defining characteristics.

Located on the frontage of Island Avenue, four blocks east of the historic Gaslamp District and Petco Park, the site is ideally located in proximity to the most popular retail and entertainment venues in San Diego.

Project Meta

Client

Lennar Communities

Completion

2018

Size

630,699 SF; 19,000 SF Retail; 368 units; 21 story tower; 5 story mid rise

Construction Cost

$132,400,000

LEED Rating

Gold

Markets

Multifamily; Mixed-use

Project Types

Multifamily

Services

Architecture

Neighborhood Style

The architectural team played with design influences that are Bohemian in nature, inspired by the East Village neighborhood’s industrial history as seen through the eyes of Bob Sinclair. This aesthetic style boldly celebrates the legacy of the East Village as a community that welcomes and supports the arts and artists, especially those who found beauty in the neighborhood’s rich history of industry.

Artistic Interpretation

The unique and striking design of Shift was to be based on an industrial style that combines a bold, sculptural massing with pitched lines and a facade of rust-colored strips of metal siding alternating with dark window walls, to create an iconic element that adds vibrancy and variety to the East Village skyline. It was also important to harness the advantages of this site and its exciting surroundings and, perhaps more importantly, enhance those surroundings by adding to the rich cultural offerings of the neighborhood.

The Result

Shift is a high-profile tower sculpturally that ascends 21 stories above East Village wearing in the same iconic rust color as the Golden Gate Bridge. The tower meets the street at a five-story podium accented with outdoor gathering spaces, cut-away corners, and vibrant murals. A variety of materials, colors, and textures are used throughout to relate the building’s form to its immediate site context and bring the tower down to meet the pedestrian scale. The project invites the public in to view art displays from an outdoor plaza at the corner of 15th and J Streets. At the same time, ground-floor retail and dining further activate the surrounding streets. Each approach to Shift offers a different experience as it offers a unique expression on each of its sides, reflecting the unique characteristics that have always defined East Village.

Layers

Fundamental to the project’s success are the layered landscape levels that make their way from the ground all the way to the top of the tower. This landscape experience starts at the first floor on all surrounding four streets, and then makes its way up from the corner of 15th and J Streets through terraced stepping decks with a waterfall fountain feature and green walls. Landscaping extends to the sky pool deck, which boasts 180-degree panoramic views of the city.

Carrier Johnson - Shift Apartments - 01 Exterior 03

Project Gallery

Carrier Johnson - Shift Apartments - 01 Exterior 02