Date Posted: 06.10.2026
Mithun is honored to announce that it has received an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award for the design of Kapuso at the Upper Yard.
Kapuso at the Upper Yard transforms affordable housing into a force for climate action and connection. At one of San Francisco’s busiest transit hubs, 131 all-electric homes and vibrant public spaces create a low-carbon community that advances equity, sustainability and everyday belonging for residents and neighbors alike. More than transit-adjacent, Kapuso (‘one at heart’ in Tagolog) at the Upper Yard is transit-supportive: its design makes daily transit use easier and safer for residents and commuters alike.
“Kapuso at the Upper Yard is a shining example of what community development should be — from its inception as an ideal conceived by community to the planning to its design to its construction,” said Sam Moss, Executive Director at Mission Housing Development Corporation. “From Day 1, the goal was for Kapuso to represent the heartbeat of this diverse community and today is vindication of what happens when we all come together to accomplish the greatest of all goods — build quality affordable housing.”
A compelling model for decarbonization, the all-electric building uses a high-performance envelope, efficient systems and rooftop renewables to achieve a net energy use intensity (EUI) of 15.2 kBtu per sf per year. Together, these strategies reduce operational carbon by 80% compared to the national average and surpass 2030 Challenge targets. Concrete with 50% lower GWP than regional average reduces embodied carbon.
“Kapuso at the Upper Yard means so much more than the metrics. It’s about how the community, BART and the City and state players came together to create something really meaningful for the residents, the neighborhood and our planet,” said Mithun partner Anne Torney.
A year after move-in, the design team and clients conducted a multilingual post-occupancy evaluation of Kapuso at the Upper Yard, combining surveys, on-site observations and property management interviews. Results affirmed the project’s success: 87% of residents feel a strong sense of belonging, and more than 80% of respondents state that their health or the health of their family members has improved [as a result of living at Kapuso] the last year. Almost 75% of respondents use public transit regularly each week. 78% of respondents agree or strongly agree that “Living here makes me feel like I can live a healthy and happy lifestyle.”
Learn more about equity, sustainability and affordable housing strategies at Kapuso at the Upper Yard.
This is the tenth AIA COTE Top Ten Award for Mithun, continuing the firm’s leadership among national practices with multiple COTE honors. The Top Ten Awards program is the profession’s best-known recognition program for sustainable design excellence. It highlights projects that exemplify the integration of great design and great performance, delivering social, economic and ecological value.
