Snøhetta unveils new staircase for San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

News: architecture firm Snøhetta has unveiled the design for a new staircase linking the existing San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with the 21,000 square-metre extension currently under construction.

The terrazzo stairs will lead visitors from the Hass Atrium of the old San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) building to the first floor of the Snøhetta-designed extension, which is scheduled to open in early 2016. It will be positioned directly beneath a large circular skylight designed by Mario Botta, the architect of the original building.

“We have imagined a stair that feels at home in Botta’s atrium, yet introduces the visitor to the language of the new spaces, creating a powerful overlap moment between the two worlds,” said Snøhetta principal Craig Dykers.

Snøhetta unveils new staircase for San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

He continued: “It bridges the current and future buildings, and extends the existing design vocabulary, while foreshadowing that of the new Snøhetta addition. Most importantly, the new stair serves the next stage in the trajectory of the museum, which is about reaching out, embracing a wider public and becoming more extroverted.”

The cantilevered body of the structure will be made from wood and will feature a clear glass balustrade.

“While grand in dimensions, the stair’s impressive cantilevered construction gives it a very modest footprint,” said Dykers. “Its atypically low walls make it feel smaller than it is, which gives the atrium a new, open, airy, character that looks to SFMOMA’s future.”

Snøhetta broke ground on the SFMOMA extension earlier this year. Once open it will double the gallery’s exhibition and education space, creating 12,000 square-metres of indoor and outdoor galleries.

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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expansion breaks ground

News: construction has started on a major extension to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), designed by Snøhetta to double the gallery’s exhibition and education space.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expansion breaks ground
Outside glass-fronted gallery

Snøhetta’s design will provide SFMOMA with around 12,000 square metres of indoor and outdoor gallery space, as well as over 1000 square metres of public space filled with art.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expansion breaks ground

An admission-free glass-fronted gallery on the ground floor of the new building will entice passers-by inside to explore large-scale installations.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expansion breaks ground
Living wall on sculpture terrace

A double-height box on the fourth floor will host the museum’s programme of live art as well as film screenings and special events.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expansion breaks ground
Exhibition space

An outdoor sculpture terrace on the third floor will be home to a huge living wall of native Californian plants, while a terrace on the seventh floor will offer views across the city.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expansion breaks ground
Glass-fronted ground floor gallery with Richard Serra sculpture

Additional public entrances to the building will increase access, while a street-level pedestrian promenade will open a new route of circulation in the neighbourhood.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expansion breaks ground
Performance space

The new building will be over 15 metres taller than the existing SFMOMA building, which was completed by Swiss architect Mario Botta in 1995.

The completed extension is set to open in 2016. Snøhetta first revealed designs for the gallery in 2011.

Other art galleries we’ve featured lately include a Steven Holl-designed gallery inside an illuminated glass tunnel and Foster + Partners’ new wing clad with golden pipes at the Lenbachhaus art museum in Munich – see all galleries.

Snøhetta recently completed a university library featuring a robotic book retrieval system and a 3D printing workshop – see all architecture by Snøhetta.

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expansion breaks ground
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