SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The 88, San Jose's newest high-rise residential tower, is now complete -- a monumental step in the resurgence of this city's downtown. At just under 88 meters, The 88 is the tallest residential building between San Francisco and Los Angeles, standing one foot taller than the new city hall just blocks away and making a dramatic impact on the city's changing skyline.

Last month, just one day before the first residents moved in on October 24th, The 88 swept the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal's annual Structures Awards. The project was named "Design Project of the Year," and was the runner up in the "Mixed-Use Project of the Year" and "Community Impact Project of the Year" categories.

Designed by San Francisco-based SB Architects, The 88 juxtaposes a graceful, residential tower with a mid-rise, mixed-use structure below. The 197 for-sale residences enjoy panoramic views of the city and the valley beyond, and overlook private amenities -- a pool, fitness center, terrace and outdoor lounge, entertaining center and billiards room --located on the podium. A ground level pedestrian plaza flanked by shops and restaurants will provide a central spine and gathering place between The 88 and a planned second tower. Five levels of parking, three subterranean and two above the street-front retail, serve 32,000 square feet of retail, as well as the 20 floors of residential development.

"To respond to the challenge of creating a signature tower, while remaining under the height limit in downtown San Jose, we came up with a tower design that combines two interlocking masses -- one glass, to take advantage of views of the surrounding hills, and one concrete, to provide a sense of solidity and connection to the mixed-use structure below," says Tom Sprinkle, vice president and principal of SB Architects. On the roof, an angled cap with a sheer white surface on its largest side cloaks roof-top infrastructure systems and provides a contrasting element to complement the angles and vertical lines of the 22 floors below.

"The distinctive architecture of The 88 is a statement to the region that downtown San Jose is coming into its own," says Seth Bland, project manager and partner at Wilson Meany Sullivan, developers of the project.

The first of four new high-rise residential structures currently on the rise in downtown San Jose, The 88 not only changes the city's skyline, it brings a whole new type of living to the Silicon Valley. Located just blocks from the San Jose State University, the San Jose Museum of Art, the Tech Museum of Innovation, downtown theaters and restaurants, the new tower is also located directly adjacent to the city's light rail system. All together, the city's four new high-rise projects will bring 853 new residences to downtown.

After years of planning, San Jose is joining cities all over the country in promoting the redevelopment of their downtowns to offer a distinctly urban lifestyle. "In terms of residential, this is the first time we've seen this kind of density in downtown. This represents a change in how people live," says John Weis, of the city's redevelopment agency.

The 88 represents a joint effort by San Francisco-based Wilson Meany Sullivan and Stockbridge Funds, Hollywood-based CIM Group, and the San Jose Redevelopment Agency to turn this suburban downtown into a major urban destination on par with its ranking as the tenth most populous city in the nation. HKS Architects acted as executive architect for the project.

In nearly fifty years of practice, SB Architects has built a reputation for excellence in the planning and design of large-scale multi-family residential, mixed-use, hotel, resort and vacation ownership projects. For the past three years, the firm has been listed among the fastest-growing companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the fastest-growing architecture and engineering firms in the country. The firm's portfolio of work includes projects throughout the United States, in Mexico, South America, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, China, Indonesia, Egypt and the Middle East. Known for site-sensitive, contextually-appropriate design, SB Architects has received nearly 200 awards for design excellence.

SOURCE SB Architects