The architects added their building to the building of Mario Botta, built in 1995, while the interiors of the new and old buildings are merged together. The changes that affected one of Botta's most famous works caused mixed reactions. For example, the Snøhetta bureau replaced its staircase in the "iconic" central round tower with its own, in their opinion, not preventing the sun's rays from entering the interior through the "oculus" that completes the tower - which was done by its predecessor.
However, neither the management of the museum nor the architects of the reconstruction focus on copyright issues, keeping key modern buildings intact, etc. They put at the forefront both an increase in the area of SFMOMA by more than two times, up to 42.7 thousand m2, and a closer connection of the museum with the city. Now you can get there from several points at once, and on the lower tiers there are spacious lobbies, where you can enter without buying a ticket, although there are works of art on display. This move, as well as free access for visitors aged 18 and younger, are intended to attract to SFMOMA those audiences that are usually not interested in contemporary art or museums in general.
Also to improve the quality of the museum environment are open terraces - with sculpture and viewing, the largest public green wall in the United States (19,000 plants, mostly typical of California forests), an amphitheater staircase sheathed with maple wood in the lobby, which should become a popular place meetings and communication of townspeople, as well as the facade - 700 panels made of fiberglass reinforced polymer. This curtain wall is the largest for this material in the United States, previously they did not dare to use such panels above 4 floors. The white embossed facades are inspired by the waves and mists of the San Francisco Bay.
The building claims to be LEED Gold. Its ecological components include an all-LED lighting system (which also allows curators to fine-tune the light), a green wall cooling and purifying the air in the interior, high-performance glazing of the first floor (individually made thin steel profiles instead of factory-made aluminum ones do not shade the interior, while fritted glass protects it from overheating, a special coating saves from ultraviolet radiation, an air gap serves for thermal insulation, etc.), a "gardener" computer for a green wall (sensors monitor humidity, the amount of nutrients, acidity, while water is strictly saved as required by the laws of drought-stricken California). Protection against noise is also provided: the ceilings are covered with sound-absorbing plaster with the addition of glass chips, the wooden panels on the stairs are equipped with holes and grooves that play the same role.
