Archinect - Features

Snøhetta's expanded SFMOMA is 235,000 square feet of egalitarianism

2016-05-10T11:13:00-04:00

Snøhetta’s expansion of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art—which incorporates numerous elements of Mario Botta’s 1988 design while simultaneously introducing a far more egalitarian vibe—seems to be a miniature of the constraints and progressive-mindedness of San Francisco itself. Multiple entrances, an emphasis on intimate scaling instead of grand gestures, and dedicated staff floors that sit blatantly atop the public galleries, invert many of the preconceptions of traditional museum design. Instead of attempting to shape the city with a bold new vision, Snøhetta has allowed the city to shape the museum. It is the anti-Bilbao: if not in effect, then certainly in intention.

Invasion: A First-Hand View of Gentrification in San Francisco

2014-11-24T10:13:00-05:00

A recent Bay Area transplant sees old and new duke it out over the Bay Area's shifting public-private fault line.

The Deans List: David Gissen of California College of the Arts

2013-11-21T13:27:00-05:00

The Deans List is an interview series with the leaders of architecture schools, worldwide. The series profiles the school’s programming, as defined by the head honcho – giving an invaluable perspective into the institution’s unique curriculum, faculty and academic environment.

For our first installment, we spoke with David Gissen, the Director of Architecture at California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

No Such Thing As Nowhere: Discussion with Matthew Coolidge, author of "Around the Bay"

2013-09-23T07:50:00-04:00

Around the Bay: Man-Made Sites of Interest in the San Francisco Bay Region, a new photobook from the Center for Land Use Interpretation, catalogues portraits of the Bay Area's complex and historied landscapes.