SAN FRANCISCO.-In early 2008, SFMOMA initiated its first facilities expansion since its Mario Botta-designed building opened in 1995. The SFMOMA Rooftop Garden, expected to open in spring 2009, offers visitors to San Francisco a unique urban oasis described by architect Mark Jensen as “a gallery without a ceiling.”

An extension of the museum’s exhibition and programming resources, the Rooftop Garden features two open-air spaces and a luminous glass pavilion that afford dramatic views of both the San Francisco skyline and sculptural works in the museum’s collection.

The Rooftop Garden connects to the museum’s fifth-floor galleries via a glass-enclosed bridge, with a full wall of windows along the back of the galleries affording a dramatic overlook into the new space and flooding the museum’s interior with natural light.

The Process
The museum selected San Francisco-based Jensen Architects to design the Rooftop Garden following an invitational competition held in 2006. Under the direction of principal Mark Jensen, the firm developed plans for a multifunctional space that could be used year-round — a space that complements the museum’s existing structure while amplifying its potential.

Construction of the garden began in early 2008 and will continue through the year. The Rooftop Garden will open to the public in the spring of 2009.