The team solved a significant geotechnical challenge linking the 11-level art museum expansion to the existing five-story museum on a tight infill block in downtown San Francisco.

To maintain seamlessness between the new and existing galleries while connecting the weight of the 200-ft tower to the mat slab of the smaller building, team members first rejected a disruptive deep foundation because of adjacent hotels and condominiums and the area’s soft soil. Instead, they elegantly tied the existing mat to the new slab, efficiently distributing loads through a series of “egg-crate” basement walls and a 20-in. ground level deck.

The 225,000-sq-ft building doubles the exhibition and education space and substantially increases the public’s free access to selected artworks.

A freestanding doglegged open grand staircase connects the two lobby levels. This required building support columns extending to the mat slab. From the fourth floor, a series of cascading stairs with seating ledges and outstanding city views connect the main galleries in the tower.

Among the artistic and construction features of the $242.56-million LEED Gold project are 710 fiberglass reinforced polymer rain screen panels attached to a faceted planar unitized curtain wall on the eastern facade. This lightweight and durable high-performance system protects the artworks inside the variously configured galleries and forms an exterior sculpture evoking the Bay Area’s signature sunlight, fog, wind and water.

Inside, the new lobby features a large steel sculpture by Richard Serra, which required a specialized foundation and early installation so that the building could be constructed around it. Without a staging area, the contractor meticulously coordinated material deliveries and vehicles.

 In addition, the three-story, 4,400-sq-ft living wall off of the third floor sculpture terrace stands as one of the country’s largest.

The contractor’s tablet- and smartphone-based app analyzed all onsite safety issues, and the safety culture emphasized that “everyone in the pool is a lifeguard,” with all workers empowered to stop work.

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