Client: San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Location: San Francisco, USA
Completion date: 2006
Artwork budget: $270,000
Project Team
Artist
Daniel Winterich
Studio Winterich
Architect
Cathy Simon
Perkins + Will
Overview
“Exultadagio” includes prismatic glass fins on the south façade of the modernist, six-story addition to the historic San Francisco Conservatory of Music building. In each fin, a thin strip of dichroic glass projects colored light onto the building façade and into the conservatory classrooms—to the delight of students and faculty. The ornamental purple and yellow light beautifully contrasts with the historic structure’s traditional painted terracotta cladding. Philosophically, the Conservatory emphasizes the importance of performance and requires students to perform almost daily. In keeping with this philosophy, the glass facade of the building creates a daily performance in light and color.
Goals
Fulfilling the public art requirement for private development in San Francisco, this glass curtain wall of the music school includes 8” deep horizontal and 10" deep vertical glass fins designed to modulate light across the facade of the building and within the classrooms. “When you look at Daniel Winterich’s work, it’s difficult to imagine the building without his piece,” said John Long, Associate Principal at Perkins Will. “Unlike many public art pieces, his contribution is vital to the completion of the architecture.”
Process
On its website, the San Francisco AIA describes the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in this way: “This new home for the oldest music conservatory west of the Mississippi combines contemporary architecture with an existing beaux-arts façade. The facility is a physical metaphor for the Conservatory’s mission to preserve the classical repertory while exploring musical innovation.” Perkins Will and Daniel Winterich used this statement by the Conservatory as the starting point for the architecture and public art.
Additional Information
The San Francisco AIA presented this project with a Merit Award in 2010.