Daniel Libeskind's Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco

The public enters the building through the grandiose historic electrical substation. On the ground floor, with a breathtaking view through the skylights, are the exhibition gallery, the auditorium, the convention hall, a training centre, a cafeteria, the museum store and the restaurant. The first floor contains a larger exhibition gallery, a special event space and administrative offices. On the underground floor are a warehouse and areas housing electrical and mechanical plants.
Almost 100 years after its construction, the historic building in the Yerba Buena cultural district is now open to visitors as a vital node for aggregation of Jewish culture, history and ideas, where people of all ages and backgrounds can meet to share points of view and enjoy art.
A multipurpose container, the city's beating heart, expressing the relationship between old and new, between tradition and innovation.

Lorella Ridenti

Location: San Francisco 736, Mission Street
Architect: Daniel Libeskind
Chronology: 1998 - 2008
Total surface area: 63,000 square metres