An exclusive look inside the $1 billion renovation of San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid

With new amenities, more public space, and revamped interiors by Foster + Partners, Shvo’s Transamerica Pyramid renovation is a big bet on downtown San Francisco.

For more than 50 years, the San Francisco skyline has been punctuated by one of the country’s most recognizable office towers, the Transamerica Pyramid. With its four tapered sides narrowing to a pencil-top peak 853 feet high, its pyramid form introduced a new kind of shape into a city dominated by rectilinear boxes when it opened in 1972. Now, a bold but risky $1 billion renovation effort is trying to turn this iconic, aging space into a new urban centerpiece for a pandemic-wracked city. Instead of it just standing out on the skyline, Shvo, the developer behind the project, hopes the famous building will become a catalyst for regeneration.