Why was The Transamerica Pyramid built in the shape of a pyramid?
In addition to being a stylistic statement, The Transamerica Pyramid’s unconventional silhouette is also the result of environmentally sensitive planning. The tapered design casts a smaller shadow and therefore allows more natural light to filter down to the streets below than its conventional high-rise neighbors important in a city where the sun has to do almost daily battle with the fog. In designing the building, architects William Pereira & Associates also were adhering to San Francisco’s unique shadow restriction legislation, which impose a certain ratio between buildings’ surfaces and their heights.
