Mashouf Performing Arts Center
Michael Maltzan Architecture

Image courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

A state-of-the-art facility that will transform creative arts education and performing arts at San Fransisco State and throughout the region.

The new performing arts center will house San Fransisco State's nationally renowned programs in theater, music, dance and broadcast and electronic communication arts, while keeping San Fransisco State on the forefront of creative education and the performing arts.

A waveform of activity, the building is a symbol for the College that reflects the diverse academic programs it houses. As day turns to night, the building's glass perimeter glows with activity, broadcasting the pulse of creativity and life within.

Image courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

The building, to be constructed in three phases, will anchor the southwestern edge of the San Fransisco State campus, establishing an iconic presence within the city and larger cultural community for the University.


Image courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

The building's architecture is defined by an expansive horizontal form and is punctuated by the performance spaces rising above. A distinctive wave design flows along both Lake Merced and Font Boulevards, creating a feeling of movement and reflecting the creative energy housed within. The building will shape SF State's public face along Lake Merced Boulevard and encourage pedestrian activity through interconnected arcades and walkways.

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, theatergoers and the community. 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 courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

Image courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

In designing the Mashouf Performing Arts Center, Michael Maltzan sought to capture the inventive spirit that characterizes the University's College of Creative Arts, designing a complex that facilitates connection and interaction among theatergoers, performers, students and faculty. The building will be designed and constructed to a LEED Gold level standard.

The 1,200-seat theater supports a range of performances including music, theatre, opera and dance as well as serving as a space for public debates and panel

Image courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

The 450-seat Little Theater offers an intimate setting, where performer and audience share a single space bounded by the arced seating rising from the stage floor


Image courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

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 courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

This building is meant to be a gateway, both physically and culturally. The exciting challenge is to create a building that expresses the spirit of creativity in this special context - strong and dynamic, with an optimistic view to the future./ Michael Maltzan

Model photo courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

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.