snohetta selected for SFMOMA expansion

SFMOMA exterior view all photos © henrik kam

norwegian architecture firm snohetta has been selected for the san francisco museum of modern art (SFMOMA)  large scale renovation and expansion. unlike other international competitions invited architects were not asked to submit proposals. initial design concepts for snohetta’s first building on the west coast of the united states will be unveiled in the spring of 2011. the current project budget of 480 million USD includes 250 million USD for the expansion and 230 million USD for SFMOMA’s endowment to ensure the museum’s long-term success.

in a special meeting yesterday, SFMOMA’s board of trustees welcomed the architect selection committee’s recommendation of snohetta from among the four short-listed firms announced in may. in addition to snohetta, the finalists were adjaye associates, diller scofidio + renfro, and foster + partners. snohetta will partner with a local architectural firm to execute the expansion and will join SFMOMA’s project team after a contract is completed, pending the board of trustees’ official ratification of the selection at its september board meeting.

SFMOMA exterior view

‘the distinction and preeminence of all four candidates made this an exceptionally tough decision,’ said SFMOMA director neal benezra. ‘yet snøhetta’s dynamic and imaginative body of work demonstrates an outstanding commitment to innovation combined with a solid track record of unique, timely, and fiscally responsible approaches to complex civic and cultural projects. the selection committee was particularly thrilled by the stunning spaces, sophisticated use of materials, and quality of light in snohetta’s norwegian national opera and ballet in oslo, which we feel is one of the great buildings worldwide to be designed and built in the last decade.‘

SFMOMA exterior view

SFMOMA’s current building designed by mario botta is 225,000 square feet with nearly 65,000 square feet  of galleries, including the 14,400-square-foot rooftop garden. the expansion will provide approximately 100,000 square feet of additional gallery and public space, greatly enhancing and expanding both the presentation of art in all areas of its collections and its educational programs.

the expansion will also include approximately 60,000 square feet of support space, including larger and more advanced conservation facilities and an expanded library. sfmoma plans to relocate administrative support space into the new facility, providing new gallery and public space in its original building, while consolidating all staff offices in one on-site location.

planned expansion

SFMOMA last completed a major expansion in 1995, when it moved from the small rented space in the war memorial building across from san francisco’s city hall into the celebrated brick-front building on third street. the move catalyzed incredible growth in the museum’s audiences, educational programs, exhibitions, and collections. during the past 15 years, SFMOMA’s annual average attendance has more than tripled to 700,000, membership has grown to 40,000, and the collection has more than doubled to 27,000 works. sfmoma has also developed one of strongest exhibition programs in the world, organizing groundbreaking shows that travel to leading museums internationally, including recent surveys of the work of diane arbus, olafur eliasson, eva hesse, frida kahlo, william kentridge, sol lewitt, richard tuttle, and jeff wall.