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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art unveils Snohetta designed grand stair

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) unveiled the Snøhetta-designed grand stair that will greet visitors in the museum’s existing Haas Atrium and invite them into the heart of its new 235,000-square-foot building expansion, currently under construction and slated for completion in early 2016.

SFMOMA’s new Snøhetta-designed stair (view from Third Street entrance), shown here with previous atrium art installation by Sol LeWitt (inaugural art installation for 2016 reopening to be announced); rendering by Steelblue
SFMOMA’s new Snøhetta-designed stair (view from Third Street entrance), shown here with previous atrium art installation by Sol LeWitt (inaugural art installation for 2016 reopening to be announced); rendering by Steelblue

Embracing architect Mario Botta’s original atrium design, the new stair will enhance the space for the display of art and allow a more direct experience of natural light streaming down from the oculus, which will be visible as a complete circle for the first time. The stair will also serve as a key bridge between the existing and new parts of the building, integrating them into a seamless whole.

Centered below the oculus and completely open to the atrium, the Snøhetta-designed stair will create an expansive, flowing entry point that will welcome visitors up into the Art Court—a new nexus for visitor orientation located on the second floor.

A central goal of the expansion’s overall design is to create additional entrances and access points into the museum. The Art Court will serve as the admissions hub for visitors coming through both the existing entrance on Third Street and a new major entrance on Howard Street that will beckon visitors into the building through a large glass-walled gallery. These three admission-free, art-filled areas for public gathering—the atrium, Art Court, and Howard Street gallery—will transform the ground-floor experience of the expanded SFMOMA and weave the museum more deeply into neighborhood life.

Visit Web site at www.sfmoma.org or call 415.357.4000 for more information.