Thom Mayne

Thom Mayne's San Francisco Federal Building had me awe struck when I saw it yesterday for the first time. The building makes use of various materials that come out at incredibly sharp angles and there's an amazing use of negative space in the upper levels of the main tower along with exterior spaces that are traditionally interior (like the stairwells). It's a wonderful thing to see and I recommend it to anyone visiting the San Francisco area. Incredibly the building qualifies for LEED certification and uses less than half the energy of a traditional office building through aggresive use of shade. All this while being completely compliant with post-9/11 DHS security measures.