Pelli is a former dean of the School of Architecture at Yale University. His credits include number of buildings in California, including San Bernardino City Hall, and the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. He also designed the United States Embassy in Tokyo. In the Bay Area, he was responsible for the first two buildings of Oakland City Center in downtown Oakland.

Chase's 655,000-square-foot headquarters building is being developed by Houston-based Hines, financed by the California Public Employees' Retirement System, and built by Turner Construction. It will be constructed of glass and dark green aluminum. The project incorporates a 15,000-square-foot park and a kinetic sculpture by George Rickey called Annular Eclipse.

The Chase H&Q lease for the entire building is the largest single lease transaction ever consummated in San Francisco. Completion is slated for 2002. An office broker who asked to remain anonymous said that Chase is planning to sublease 100,000 square feet of space in the building.