Unlike other similar projects, the architects were commissioned to expand a completely new building, built in 1995 by the design of Mario Botta. The world famous red brick building has become too cramped 15 years after its opening, so the new building will double both SFMOMA's exhibition space and its educational center (the total area of the Snøhetta wing will be 21 thousand m2).
It will be located on the rear facade of the Botta building and will cover another block in the southeast direction. Along its main façade, there will be a promenade, a public space with staircases and courtyards that will connect and revitalize the adjacent streets. At the ground level, not only the entrance to the new building is planned, but also a glazed exhibition hall, which will more closely connect the museum with the city space, and also make it visually more open to the visitor, which is what all modern cultural institutions strive for.
The long and narrow rectangular block of "Snohetta" will be 15 m higher than Botta's building and will act as a neutral background for it, although its asymmetrical completion contradicts the strict symmetry of the main building.
The project budget is $ 380 million, its completion is scheduled for 2016.
