What’s Happening: Work recently wrapped on retrofitting one of San Francisco’s oldest shipbuilding warehouses into a 21st-century commercial hub, which involved meticulously lifting the rusted relic by ten feet to account for rising sea levels.

The Download: In its heyday, Pier 70 thrived as an essential shipbuilding facility during World War II. Located on the waterfront of San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood and deemed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as the most intact 19th-century industrial complex west of the Mississippi, the site was abandoned as postwar demand for naval vessels waned. Many of its buildings have been demolished, especially after Bethlehem Steel wound down operations there in 1982. One exception is Building 12, a gargantuan former ship-hull factory reimagined as the centerpiece of a vast mixed-use development envisioned by Brookfield Properties and slated for completion in the mid-2020s.

Rehabbing the rusted three-story behemoth, preserving its historic character, and establishing it as the future complex’s anchor proved a herculean task. Given its waterfront location, the developers determined it should address sea-level rise projections through the end of the century. That means the salvaged structure needed to be lifted by ten feet using hydraulic jacks—an act of architectural levitation that required the utmost precision and recalibration after every move. They brought in global firm Perkins & Will to spearhead the maneuver, which plodded ahead six inches at a time over the course of five weeks until a new concrete foundation could be poured underneath and interior renovations could begin.

Now it’s finally complete. Traces of the ‘40s-era compound remain—rusted exterior cladding, dings on interior columns from factory mishaps—but Building 12 has been transformed into a commercial hub suited for a post-pandemic economy. Plans for a ground-level food hall have prompted lease signings by local brewery Standard Deviant and bakery Breadbelly. Maker spaces and creative offices will occupy the upper floors. (RH and the Museum of Craft and Design are a jaunt away.) Revitalizing the rest of the pier will require its own challenges and similar topographic maneuvers, but Brookfield promises a lively mix of office, retail, commercial, and 1,400 much-needed housing units when it wraps by 2030.

In Their Own Words: “We never intended [Building 12] to be bright and shiny and new,” Ariane Fehrenkamp, a senior project manager at Perkins & Will, told Architectural Record. “We wanted something that’s celebrating the industrial past, but also the present.”

Surface Says: If only they could prop up the Millennium Tower.

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Even the grandest of dames needs a facelift now and again. Having long stood as an emblem of 1930s glamour in London’s tony Mayfair district, The Dorchester is showing off a tasteful new look that feels perfect for its age. Guided by the visionary hand of renowned interiors firm Pierre-Yves Rochon, the 241 residential-style rooms take inspiration from the hues of the country’s inimitable English gardens. Rochon also refreshed the soaring ground-floor Promenade, where the property’s famous afternoon tea is served, and transformed the lobby lounge into the gleaming Artists’ Bar punctuated with one of Liberace’s disco-tile-clad pianos.

But you can find us at the Vesper Bar, a recently debuted hideaway courtesy of hospitality design impresario Martin Brudnizki. Honoring the hotel’s history with author Ian Fleming, who invented the Vesper Martini and was a frequent guest, a 1930s Palladium leaf ceiling, works by late celebrity photographer Cecil Beaton, and a clandestine private room dubbed “the snug” would make 007 himself feel right at home. Cocktail stalwart Lucia Montanelli has crafted a drinks menu that pays homage to The Dorchester’s storied history, including the Bessie Mae, a tribute to regular guest Elizabeth Taylor, complete with “bath bubbles,” and the Gilded Three, inspired by artist Sophie Coryndon’s golden honeycomb sculpture in the lobby. Not bad for a century-old bird.

While in the throes of construction, Princeton University Art Museum is transforming the campus and surrounding area into an interim exhibition space. The institution recently tapped its holdings to project migration (empire), a 24-minute work of video art by Doug Aitken that addresses humanity’s impact on animals’ habitats and migratory patterns. The work depicts animals like owls, horses, and bison who struggle to cope inside tiny roadside motel rooms. The projection site, a billboard near the transit station that serves the campus, prompts us to consider comings and goings in the context of humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

When: Until Sept. 3

Where: David Lewis, East Hampton

What: Kan Seidel pivoted to painting full-time following the death of his younger brother, using the canvas as a conduit to decode his personal loss by deconstructing the human figure and family dynamics with an uncanny edge. Six new paintings and a painted clay sculpture debut here, among them a satirical queering of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica that embodies his broader psychological explorations of sexuality, gender, and self-representation.

America’s largest supermarket chain has its sights set on dominating more than the pantry goods game. Since 2020, it has also claimed the title of the country’s biggest sushi retailer. In a recent interview, Kroger’s chief merchant and marketing officer Stuart Aiken said: “When customers think of sushi, we want them to think of Kroger.” But it seems many already do. Two out of every three Kroger stores have sushi counters, and dollar sales are up by 72 percent from last year across all U.S. retailers, according to consumer research group Circana.

After designing for Antwerp-based jewelry label Kim Mee Hye for seven years, Kimy Gringoire took a hiatus and worked as a design consultant before launching her eponymous jewelry brand in 2021. Each piece embodies Gringoire’s unparalleled attention to how it moves with the wearer, while subtle punk references combine narrative design with understated elegance.

Surface Says: Kimy Gringoire combines poetry, gemstones, precious metals, and philosophy to inimitable effect, creating fine jewelry that speaks to a life of travel and romanticism.

A fleet of window-washing robots is cleaning skyscrapers across Manhattan.

These backpacks let people experience music as vibrations on their bodies.

Grace Kelly’s sumptuous vacation villa in Côte d’Azur has gone up for sale.

Rolling Stone gathers the 50 biggest mistakes in the history of television.