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San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William Okay. Bowes, Jr. Heart / Mark Cavagnero Associates

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates

© Tim Griffith

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - Exterior photography, windows, cityscape, facadeSan Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - exterior photography, window, facadeSan Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - Interior Photography, ChairSan Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - Interior photography, living room, chairSan Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - Additional images+ 9

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https://www.archdaily.com/994026/san-francisco-conservatory-of-music-ute-and-william-k-bowes-jr-center-mark-cavagnero-associates
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - Exterior photography, windows, cityscape, facade© Tim Griffith

Text description of the architects. Located in the heart of San Francisco’s Civic Center, the city’s performing arts district, the Ute & William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) was designed by Mark Cavagnero Associates (Cavagnero ) as designed a “vertical campus” that combines student housing, restaurants, classrooms, rehearsal rooms, performance spaces and a radio station under one roof.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - Exterior photography, windows, facade, cityscape© Tim GriffithSan Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - exterior photography, window, facade© Tim Griffith

The center was named in honor and recognition of the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation’s $46.4 million donation, which represents the largest capital donation ever made to a music school; the foundation’s namesake was a longtime SFCM supporter and trustee. The SFCM’s Ann Getty Center at 50 Oak Street, home of the conservatory since 2006, is within walking distance. The Bowes Center creates housing for up to 420 students. The building also includes 27 rent-stabilized apartments that will upgrade and replace existing units from the site’s previous building for its previous tenants.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - exterior shots© Tim Griffith

Cavagnero’s design emphasizes openness, commitment and light through its white and transparent glass exterior. Filled with sights and sounds of music, the Bowes Center invites passers-by at this busy intersection to watch performances through floor-to-ceiling windows in its jewel-box Cha Chi Ming Recital Hall on the ground floor. The top two floors light up like a beacon at night, with floor-to-ceiling windows, the 200-seat Barbro Osher Recital Hall, flexible event spaces, and a rooftop terrace with unparalleled views of City Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, the War Memorial Opera House, and other landmarks.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - Interior Photography, Chair© Kyle JeffersSan Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - Interior photography, living room, chair© Tim Griffith

Building on the company’s innovations in the design of SFJAZZ, Cavagnero’s design for Bowes achieves the transparency of a glass façade while exceeding its stringent acoustic requirements. To achieve a cohesive design language while meeting exacting acoustic requirements that vary from floor to floor, with a mix of performance, practice, recording and living spaces throughout the twelve floors, and made more complex by adjacent Van Ness Avenue —Cavagnero’s team designed a custom curtain wall system that integrates all acoustic requirements into a seamless envelope. Working with Kirkegaard Associates, Tipping Structural Engineers and cladding manufacturer CS Erectors, Cavagnero has pushed the boundaries of how glass can perform at high acoustic levels. The design uses double-glazed walls and a floating structural panel to isolate the transmission of noise and vibration from the street while maintaining transparency in the performance spaces. The double glazing system also adds a sustainable element to the design and creates an additional thermal buffer.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - interior photography, chair, window© Tim Griffith

On the second level of the Bowes Center, the Center for New Media provides studio space, classrooms, and critical listening rooms for students enrolled in the conservatory’s Technology and Applied Composition program. Taking advantage of the school’s location in the Performing Arts District and its proximity to Silicon Valley, the program prepares classically trained composers to score the film and video games. The center is also used by students of the SFCM’s Roots, Jazz and American Music program, created in partnership with SFJAZZ. Classrooms, keyboard labs, a black box technology hall and a recording studio for all SFCM students are located underground in acoustically tightly controlled spaces. Floors three through eleven feature one, two, and three-bedroom units, each acoustically isolated for practice. One floor is dedicated to the students of the San Francisco Ballet as an extension of the conservatory’s unprecedented partnership with nearby SF Ballet.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - exterior photography, windows, glass, facade© Kyle Jeffers

project description. The Bowes Center is a “vertical campus” that brings together affordable student housing, restaurants, classrooms, rehearsal spaces, performance spaces, faculty offices, and a radio station under one roof in an integrated, collaborative environment. The Bowes Center, named in honor and recognition of the $46.4 million donation from the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation, doubles the school’s square footage and features state-of-the-art classroom facilities and three new event venues.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center / Mark Cavagnero Associates - exterior photography, window, facade© Kyle Jeffers

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