San Francisco— Jay Paul Company’s highly anticipated construction of the Transbay District’s first office and luxury residential tower will commence in November 2013 according to its commercial real estate advisor Cornish & Carey Commercial Newmark Knight Frank (C&CCNKF).

Environmentally responsible demolition of the existing five-story structure at 181 Fremont Street began last week and will make way for a new, 54-story, 684,000-square-foot tower in San Francisco’s reconceived Transbay neighborhood, where the future Transbay Transit Center is a critical anchor for urban access and growth. Jay Paul Company plans to unveil the completed tower in the fourth quarter of 2015 and will pursue LEED Gold or Platinum certification.

“We are excited to be one step closer to realizing the new vision for this emerging and vital neighborhood,” said Principal and Founder Jay Paul. “181 Fremont Street will not only transform the skyline being the second allest building in San Francisco, but will be one of the most connected as it incorporates a direct link to San Francisco’s new visionary transportation hub and beautiful public park. There is no doubt this project will be an exciting and significant addition to the community.”

Designed by Heller Manus Architects, the 800-foot tower will feature breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay and be one of only two buildings that directly connects via sky-bridge to the future public park atop the Transbay Transit Center. The 5.4-acre outdoor park will be elevated five floors above street level and is destined to become a new cultural and recreational center for the already amenity-rich downtown area. The building comprises 410,000-square-feet of office space, a boutique retail space on the fifth floor adjacent to the city park and 74 ultra-luxury condos in the top15 floors with exclusive resident-only amenities including a concierge and 37th floor fitness center and lounge.

Karl Baldauf, a C&CCNKF senior vice president, was selected to market the office portion of the Fremont Street tower for lease. Alan Mark, CEO of The Mark Company, has been engaged to market the residential condos for sale. Level 10 Construction will serve as the general contractor for the project.

Jay Paul continued, “95% of the materials recovered from the demolition of the existing building will be recycled. In its place, we will construct a sustainable, energy-efficient, iconic office and residential tower unlike any the City has previously seen and that will appeal to the demands of this rapidly evolving neighborhood.”

The 181 Fremont Street project is part of the Transbay Transit Center District Plan, which includes 145 acres surrounding the new Transbay Transit Center currently under construction. This new transportation hub will ultimately house 12 transit systems including Caltrain and the future high-speed rail network, significantly increasing San Francisco’s accessibility and further shifting the city’s business district to the South of Market (SOMA) area. Using an excavator equipped with a set of clamping jaws known as a “clam shell,” the perimeter walls and structure of the existing buildings will be carefully excavated to the ground. The remnants will then be broken into smaller, more manageable pieces and sorted into like materials, with each type of material hauled to various handling facilities for processing and recycling. It is estimated that 95% of the building will be recycled.