Ronald Alameida Appointed San Francisco City Architect

For immediate release: Dec. 23, 2020

Contact: Rachel Gordon: rachel.gordon@sfdpw.org

 

 

 

San Francisco, CA – Ronald Alameida, who has ushered through the design and construction of some of San Francisco’s largest civic building projects supporting health care, public safety and shelter for unhoused residents, has been appointed to the permanent post of City Architect.

 

He also has been named to the permanent position of San Francisco Public Works’ Deputy Director for Building Design and Construction. He oversees a staff of some 250 and a $1 billion-plus portfolio with a wide range of capital projects and programs. Alameida has served in an acting capacity in both roles since March 2019.

 

Alameida oversaw design and construction of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and the Salesforce Transit Center. The Public Works design and construction management teams under his leadership have an active roster of City projects, among them shelters and safe sleeping sites, fire stations, parks and playgrounds, libraries, police facilities, neighborhood health centers, the ambulance deployment facility, the Animal Care & Control shelter and Muni facilities.

 

“Ron demonstrates an exceptional ability to motivate staff, understands the needs of our client departments and delivers projects that serve the needs of our diverse city,” Acting Public Works Director Alaric Degrafinried said Wednesday. “He and his team are responsive to our very real present-day needs, while also preparing San Francisco for the future.”

 

Alameida, who joined Public Works in 2006 as a project and program manager, most recently served as Director of Project Management before his promotion to the Building Design and Construction Division’s top job. He earned a Master of Architecture and an undergraduate degree in architecture from UC Berkeley. Prior to joining San Francisco Public Works, he worked for Alameda County and in the private sector.

 

“As a lifetime resident of the Bay Area, I am professionally invested in the stewardship of public-serving buildings and environments,” Alameida said. “My interest in becoming an architect came at an early age albeit in a simplistic desire to ‘design buildings.’ My interests evolved into a wider view of the total built environment, including environmental aspects, economic factors and urban impact on people and cities.

 

“Being appointed City Architect,” he added, “is an incredible honor and one I undertake with a commitment to delivering quality projects that serve the interests of the people of San Francisco.”