As part of the transformation of Fort Mason from a historic army base into a thriving nonprofit arts and community center, LMSA led the adaptive reuse of Pier 2 to rehabilitate the landmark shed and to turn the interior into a new campus for the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) - a hub for both undergraduate and graduate studios and public engagement with the arts.
In Phase I, the historic shed was restored and seismically upgraded with integrated sustainable building systems including a 255KW rooftop photovoltaic solar system. In Phase II, LMSA transformed the interior volume into a new arts campus for SFAI which includes 160+ studios, public exhibition galleries, performance installation rooms, multipurpose teaching spaces, a black box theater, and a workshop.
The renovation of the historic U.S. Army warehouse preserves the industrial integrity of the landmark structure in strict conformance with the Secretary of the Interiors Standards for Historic Rehabilitation, while creating a dynamic new hub for arts activities at Fort Mason Center. The new SFAI Fort Mason campus joins the historic SFAI Chestnut Street campus to radically advance SFAI’s commitment to positioning artists at the center of public life in the Bay Area and globally.