Role: Lead designer and Project Architect at Mark Cavagnero Associates
Phase: Concept to Completion
Client: San Francisco Conservatory of Music

To cultivate the growth of future musicians in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, sought to expand its existing 50 Oak Street campus with much-needed state-of-the-art performance space, housing, and student housing with a new building at 200 Van Ness Avenue. It features a musically-oriented restaurant, a student lounge, and a double height recital hall at the corner of Van Ness and Hayes. This hall is constructed entirely of glass. It is in esssence a jewel box that allows passersby glimpses into the Conservatory’s activities, therefore promoting activity and energy at the intersection. Level 11 houses the project’s main performance space featuring free, public performances throughout the year. Located in the heart of Civic Center the project aspires to promote the cultural arts through its education program, while providing much-needed affordable student housing and respecting the existing context of its surrounding neighbors.