Snøhetta's new building for SFMOMA nears completion
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has released the first images of Snøhetta's near-complete extension building showing its striated facade and atrium.
![First images of Snøhetta's SFMOMA expansion](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/SFMOMA_Snohetta_San-Francisco_Mario-Botta_construction_dezeen_936_0.jpg)
The 235,000-square-foot (21,832 square metres) addition sits behind the institution's Postmodern Mario Botta-designed home and will more than double the museum's footprint.
![First images of Snøhetta's SFMOMA expansion](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/SFMOMA_Snohetta_San-Francisco_Mario-Botta_construction_dezeen_936_2.jpg)
The new building's distinctive facade is made of fiberglass-reinforced polymer panels punctuated by horizontal band windows. Its form contrasts with Botta's patterned masonry and regular geometries.
![First images of Snøhetta's SFMOMA expansion](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/SFMOMA_Snohetta_San-Francisco_Mario-Botta_construction_dezeen_936_6.jpg)
"It's like having a dance partner," Snøhetta founder Craig Dykers told Dezeen. "You don't want to be exactly like them, as you'll step on each other's feet all the time. A good dance partner is someone who has their own personality and can move freely together with you."
![First images of Snøhetta's SFMOMA expansion](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/SFMOMA_Snohetta_San-Francisco_Mario-Botta_construction_dezeen_936_4.jpg)
The rippled surface of the panels was inspired by San Francisco's foggy weather and surrounding waters, according to the architects.
The 10-storey museum building includes events spaces, a flexible theatre, education and conservation centres, a library and archives, administrative offices, and 100,000-square-feet (9,290 square metres) of galleries distributed over five floors in the middle of the building.
![First images of Snøhetta's SFMOMA expansion](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/SFMOMA_Snohetta_San-Francisco_Mario-Botta_construction_dezeen_936_8.jpg)
The free admission, glass-fronted ground floor gallery will open with a presentation of monumental sculptures by Richard Serra.
![First images of Snøhetta's SFMOMA expansion](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/SFMOMA_Snohetta_San-Francisco_Mario-Botta_construction_dezeen_936_3.jpg)
The facility will also include an outdoor sculpture garden with a living wall with 16,000 plants, including many native species.
In 2013, the architects revealed the design for a monumental staircase that will link the Botta building with the new addition.
![First images of Snøhetta's SFMOMA expansion](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/SFMOMA_Snohetta_San-Francisco_Mario-Botta_construction_dezeen_936_7.jpg)
The Mario Botta building opened in 1995 and is considered a late and controversial example of Postmodernism.
Dykers defended the merits of the earlier building. "It was a meteorite landing on the site. It did what it needed to do," he said.
Botta told Dezeen the design for the new building resembled a "mute wall, an enlarged wardrobe." He added, "I hope the accomplished work will be better and prove me wrong."
![First images of Snøhetta's SFMOMA expansion](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/SFMOMA_Snohetta_San-Francisco_Mario-Botta_construction_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
The museum also announced an official opening date of May 14, 2016. Snøhetta was selected for the project in 2010, beating Adjaye Associates, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Foster + Partners. The project broke ground in May 2013.
Snøhetta is currently working on a number of projects in the West Coast including a new public market building in Portland, Oregon and a a river walk in Willamette Falls, Oregon.