Behold: a new look at SFMOMA's expansion. We've caught earlier glimpses of the overall design for the new space that will add 100,000 square feet of gallery space and house the Doris and Donald Fisher collection, but today's presentation by project architects Snøhetta brings us more detail about the building and how it will fit in to the streetscape down at Third and Howard Streets.
The main building, which our development-minded friends at Curbed have lovingly dubbed "The Iceberg", has more in common design-wise with the Federal Building on Mission Street and the forthcoming Transbay Terminal and Tower than say, the Marriott's art deco "Jukebox", down the street. Those slick, glacier-like sides are actually cast slabs of concrete designed to expose strategic outdoor areas above street level.
And the new design doesn't exclude museum non-members either — by connecting the new museum with the current building, the museum will create free galleries on ground level and an indoor plaza in the current atrium. Additional public spaces like outdoor terraces and a sculpture garden will also encourage passersby to use and move through the area between Third, Natoma
SFMOMA's site has more details on the project, which was approved by the Planning Commission earlier this month. And don't miss the computer generated fly-by video.
