MVRDV has completed its first project on the West Coast of the United States, a housing complex in San Francisco called The Canyon, part of the Mission Rock development, a mixed-use neighborhood that will be developed on the site of a parking lot on the city waterfront.

The 23-story, 240-foot-tall tower rises above a pedestal with a bisecting walkway that creates a canyon effect, as well as a red-brown facade designed to evoke these typical California geological formations. The project consists of 283 residential units and two floors of office space, with shops and restaurants on the ground floor and public spaces on the roofs of the base.

“The Canyon creates a landscape of activity where the public realm connects to the shops, offices, and homes to keep Mission Rock busy and alive,” said MVRDV founding partner Nathalie de Vries.