The new extension of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) by Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta presents a soaring, monumental face, despite the challenges of a restrained site. Spanning over 10 floors, the new extension nearly triples the exhibition space of the museum, creating white, light-filled gallery spaces connected by wide timber stairs.
The old and new interiors are seamlessly integrated, with the new extension appearing to hug the side of the existing building, a series of brick-clad symmetrical volumes designed in 1995 by Mario Botta. In contrast to the bold, regular forms of the Botta building, the new design is introverted, expanding into the space but with its outer peripheries pinned back, clad in a white, rippling facade.
This facade, inspired by the waters and fog of San Francisco Bay, is made up of more than 700 uniquely-shaped and locally fabricated FRP (fiberglass reinforced polymer) panels. A sense of vertical motion is created by rippling patterns like creases in paper, while the surface seems to glisten in the light – an effect created by embedded silicate crystals sourced from nearby Monterey County.
In the atrium, the blocky Botta staircase has been replaced by an elegant split stair in timber that reveals the full circle of the oculus above, allowing full appreciation of Botta’s original design. “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,” says Snøhetta principal architect Craig Dykers.
The other entry to the building steps down into a large space, allowing the museum to house one of steel sculptor Richard Serra’s immense works, Sequence. The space is intelligently considered, with large, timber Roman steps leading down to the work, allowing it to be viewed from above and at multiple angles. The surrounding glass on the ground level also makes Serra’s work visible from the street outside.
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