The San Diego Museum of Art has been honored with a prestigious Signature Project Design Award for Museum Renovation during San Diego Design Week. The award, presented by the San Diego-based Design Forward Alliance, recognizes the Balboa Park museum's ambitious plans to redesign its west wing, creating what officials describe as a dynamic and accessible space that will serve both the museum and the community's evolving needs.
The internationally renowned architecture firm Foster + Partners has designed the proposed renovation, which will completely replace the existing west wing with a new building. The new structure will maintain roughly the same height profile as other museums along El Prado while featuring shaded loggias that wrap around its two-story exterior. The design includes two additional stories of gallery and archive space below ground, effectively doubling the museum's total exhibition space.
The renovation plans call for significant improvements to the museum's public spaces and amenities. The existing outdoor sculpture garden will be retained but enhanced with a new free-to-all arts education center and reading room. In a move to increase public accessibility, the tall steel fencing that currently separates the garden from the public along El Prado and near the Old Globe theater campus will be completely removed.
Dining options will be substantially expanded under the new design, with three new restaurants at different price points planned for the facility. These will include a grab-and-go market for quick meals, a casual cafe on the ground floor for relaxed dining, and a more upscale rooftop restaurant offering panoramic views overlooking the park. Additionally, the museum hopes to transform the currently empty courtyard in front of the main building by adding a water feature and trees to create a more welcoming entrance.
On Thursday morning, San Diego Museum of Art Executive Director and CEO Roxana Velásquez announced that the museum has partnered with the local firm Safdie Rabines Architects to work alongside Foster + Partners on the project's design development. "We are deeply honored by this recognition," Velásquez said in a statement. "This award recognizes our commitment to a more welcoming, sustainable, and community-centered museum, and our partnership with Safdie Rabines Architects alongside Foster + Partners moves us from vision into detailed design."
Safdie Rabines Architects brings significant local expertise to the project, having been founded in 1993 by husband-and-wife architects Ricardo Rabines and Taal Safdie. The firm has created numerous high-profile public buildings throughout San Diego, including the Epstein Family Amphitheater at UC San Diego, the Scripps Seaside Forum conference center at Scripps Institution of Oceanography with its flexible auditorium, and the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge that connects the San Diego Convention Center and Petco Park.
Velásquez emphasized the value of combining local knowledge with international expertise, stating, "Safdie Rabines Architects' deep understanding of the local landscape and their commitment to sustainable, thoughtful design are perfectly aligned with our vision for this project. This local expertise, combined with the global perspective of Foster + Partners, will ensure our museum's renovation honors its history while creating a truly future-forward space for the community."
While the project has received this significant recognition, museum officials have not yet announced final design plans or a groundbreaking date for construction. However, the public can currently view the proposed design concepts through the exhibit "A New Vision for the Next Century," which features detailed architectural models for the project created by Foster + Partners, giving visitors an up-close look at what the transformed west wing will offer the San Diego community.
