The Mashouf Performing Arts Center, designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture, aims to inspire continued artistic creativity and promote collaboration among the programs through expanded performance and education spaces for students as well as offering a venue for the region's top performing arts organizations. The building will anchor the southwestern edge of the SF State campus, establishing for the University an iconic presence within the city and larger cultural community.
North Elevation, Phase 1 Along Font Boulevard, Day View
A waveform of activity, the building is a symbol for the College that reflects the diverse academic programs it houses. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
North Elevation, Phase 1 Along Font Boulevard, Night View
As day turns to night, the building's glass perimeter glows with activity, broadcasting the pulse of creativity and life within. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
1,200 Seat Theatre View from Stage
The 1,200-seat theatre supports a range of performances including music, theatre, opera and dance as well as serving as a space for public debates and panel discussions. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
1,200 Seat Theatre View from Audience
The dynamic form of the theatre's balconies fosters a sense of individual intimacy while knitting audience and performer together. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
Main Entry, Phase 1 From East Along Font Boulevard Night View
Along Font Boulevard, the building lifts overhead, creating an expansive entry. Layered public, performance and academic spaces reinforce a sense of connection between students, faculty, theatregoers and the community. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
Main Entry, Phase 1 From East Along Font Boulevard Day View
Along Font Boulevard, the building lifts overhead, creating an expansive entry. Layered public, performance and academic spaces reinforce a sense of connection between students, faculty, theatregoers and the community. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
Aerial View
Integrating a diversity of academic and performance spaces, the building forms a singular whole punctuated by theatres and interior courtyards -- creating a continuous platform for multidisciplinary collaboration. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
Main Entry Ramp / Curricular Spaces & 103-Seat Lecture Hall
A series of ramps provide universal access across the building's folded form, reinforcing the sense of connection and exchange between the building's diverse population and multiple programs. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
Little Theatre
The 450-seat Little Theatre offers an intimate setting, where performer and audience share a single space bounded by the arced seating rising from the stage floor and the undulating grid above. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
Music Recital Hall
The 300-seat Music Recital Hall offers a dynamic space for musical performance; the seamless extension of its surfaces surrounding the audience, with performers at its center. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
Datum Level Model
Studios, workshops, and curricular spaces are grouped around the central volumes of the performance halls, interwoven by circulation paths that knit the project to the courtyards at its center. Image credit: Michael Maltzan Architecture
See the sidebar Q & A with Michael Maltzan
Return to the story Design the Future