San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

The project represents a transformation of the existing museum designed by Mario Botta with a dramatic yet complementary new wing, designed by Snøhetta, that will double the size of the museum.

Requirements for effective art conservation and display directly influence a museum’s form, the design of its mechanical systems, and its lighting strategy. These design considerations are critical to the success of a museum, and greatly impact energy use.

Atelier Ten is working with the design and the client teams to refine existing curatorial approaches to support the desired environment for art preservation, the visitor experience and reduced energy use. To achieve this, Atelier Ten is optimizing the building envelope through analysis, design charrettes and energy modeling , and by collaborating with the mechanical engineers and lighting designers to select innovative and low energy conditioning systems.

Finally, the museum wishes to enhance its ability to be a good neighbor by making a positive impact for the local community; strategies to achieve this include reducing lighting pollution, offering green space, and reducing surface water run-off.