CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF STUDIO ART

The non-profit BMA Institute has embarked on the renovation and repurposing of 800 Chestnut Street, which housed the San Francisco Art Institute from 1926 to 2022. The project is located on approximately 1.75 acres in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California.

The 93,000 sf property includes two historically significant buildings: The locally landmarked “Brown Building”, designed by Bakewell and Brown in 1926 and the “Clay Building” designed by Paffard Keating Clay in 1968. The Brown building includes a monumental 1930 fresco by Diego Rivera– his first US work, and itself a San Francisco landmark.

The repurposed buildings will support an artist residency/fellowship program for emerging and established artists focused broadly within the visual arts. The goal is to foster a close, collaborative, and inclusive community of artists, makers, and visionaries.

MEYERS+ is the Engineer of Record and is providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and building performance services from Concept Design through Construction Administration in a design-bid-build delivery.

 ENGINEERING FEATURES

The existing MEP systems, including steam radiator heating and natural gas hot water boiler systems, will be completely eliminated and replaced with all-electric heat pump systems to provide heating and cooling to the campus in a hybrid mechanical system approach that favors natural ventilation when appropriate.

New ventilation, process exhaust, and climate control systems will bring these buildings into the 21st century and provide safety and comfort to the artist residents and public-facing spaces while preserving sensitive art installations, including the Diego Rivera Fresco, for future generations.

The project is pursuing LEED Gold Certification.

OWNER BMA Institute
ARCHITECT Jensen Architects | Page & Turnbull