Transamerica Pyramid is an 853-ft tall futurist style skyscraper situated amid the downtown skyline of San Francisco. Known for its distinct pyramidal form, the building has been a signature icon of San Francisco since its completion in 1972. As expressed by John King of the San Francisco Chronicle, "[the building is] an architectural icon of the best sort – one that fits its location and gets better with age."
Transamerica Pyramid is certainly one of those rare, instantly recognizable landmarks that even non-aficionados of architecture associate with San Francisco. As a graduate of architecture school myself, the desire to eventually add this one to my body of work has, naturally, always guaranteed its spot on my proverbial "mental list." Although the symmetry of the pyramid's design is relatively straightforward when it comes to massing, the engineering beneath the model's surface is anything but. I'll preface the detailed engineering walkthroughs in the subsequent photos by just saying this; nearly every piece in this model is angled downward thirteen degrees!
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