Snøhetta’s first project was the 1989 reconceptualization of the Library of Alexandria, a lost wonder of the world. Nearly three decades later, the Norwegian architecture firm is still updating iconic cultural centers: Along with a highly publicized Times Square makeover, it’s also designing a 235,000-square-foot expansion of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which reopens in May after a three-year closure. "Alexandria (involved) tons of international stakeholders," says Claire Fellman, a director at the firm. "We developed a skill shepherding a vision through a complex process." This helped the firm during its work on SFMOMA, which sits in the gentrified SoMa district. Rather than cave to commercial pressure to join the skyline-forming fortresses nearby, Snøhetta aims to open up SFMOMA to the neighborhood. The 10-story expansion, located behind the main building, features sunlit public spaces and a fiberglass facade that offers passersby glimpses of the galleries. Upon completion, it will make SFMOMA the largest museum in California—and the largest museum of modern art in the country.
Image: Modern times: Snøhetta’s evocative, $610 million SFMOMA expansion has been six years in the making. Photo: Henrik Kam
