The San Diego Museum of Art just picked up the Signature Project Design Award for Museum Renovation and announced a partnership with local firm Safdie Rabines Architects to work alongside Foster + Partners on its planned Balboa Park renovation.

If you’ve been following SDMA’s evolution, these announcements signal that the project is moving from vision into detailed design – actual progress rather than just conceptual plans.

The Award and What It Recognizes

The Signature Project Design Awards, presented by the Design Forward Alliance as part of San Diego Design Week, spotlight the city’s leading design projects and their designers’ visionary contributions.

SDMA’s award recognizes the Museum’s forward-looking approach to evolving cultural institutions and its commitment to creating a dynamic, accessible space that serves the community’s changing needs.

Roxana Velásquez, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO of SDMA, frames it well:

“This award recognizes our commitment to a more welcoming, sustainable, and community-centered museum, and our partnership with Safdie Rabines Architects alongside Foster + Partners moves us from vision into detailed design. Progress is being made, and we’re excited to bring San Diego with us.”

Why Safdie Rabines Architects Matters

Safdie Rabines Architects brings extensive expertise in sustainable and contextually sensitive design to the project. Founded in San Diego in 1993 by husband and wife Ricardo Rabines and Taal Safdie, the firm’s design philosophy centers on creating significant, meaningful places with an emphasis on San Diego’s public realms and blurring the lines between architectural structures and nature.

Their recognizable local projects include the Epstein Family Amphitheater at UC San Diego, Scripps Seaside Forum at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge downtown.

That track record shows they understand how to design for San Diego’s specific context – climate, landscape, and the way people actually use public spaces.

Ricardo Rabines puts it plainly: “As architects who live and work in San Diego, we have been waiting for this important moment of transformation in Balboa Park. The Museum is on the cusp of a new era full of opportunities to elevate art and culture in our region and will play a key role in the future of our city.”

The Collaboration Structure

Safdie Rabines Architects will serve as executive architect, collaborating with Foster + Partners to ensure the renovation respects and preserves the historic architecture of the Balboa Park site while introducing modern functionality and seamless integration with the surrounding landscape. Kirsten Scott, Senior Partner at Foster + Partners, states:

“We’re delighted to welcome Safdie Rabines Architects to the team and look forward to collaborating with them to reinvigorate a San Diego landmark with a sustainable and community focused scheme that will enhance public access to art.”

Velásquez adds:

“Safdie Rabines Architects’ deep understanding of the local landscape and their commitment to sustainable, thoughtful design are perfectly aligned with our vision for this project. This local expertise, combined with the global perspective of Foster + Partners, will ensure our museum’s renovation honors its history while creating a truly future-forward space for the community.”

What the Renovation Includes

The project will transform the visitor experience, enhance exhibition spaces, and introduce new community-focused amenities. Specifically, it will increase free accessibility, expand community and education opportunities, double display space, and safeguard the Museum’s collection with new publicly visible storage that enables behind-the-scenes glimpses of exhibition preparation and conservation.

The plans also prioritize creating a more sustainable and environmentally friendly museum that respects its unique history and site within Balboa Park. It’s renovation as evolution rather than erasure.

See It Now at A New Vision for the Next Century

SDMA’s current exhibition A New Vision for the Next Century, which opened August 30, showcases the upcoming West Wing renovation featuring architectural models by Foster + Partners. If you want to understand what’s coming, the exhibition gives you a concrete look at the plans rather than just reading about them.

See you there!

Check out A New Vision for the Next Century at SDMA, see the architectural models, and get a preview of what Balboa Park’s landmark museum will become.

📍 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego
ℹ️ More info here

See you there, San Diego!