M.H. de Young Museum

The museum holds collections from many cultures, ranging from the present day back to the beginnings of human history. For the design team it is therefore not a homogeneous, self-contained site for art but an open one, receptive to the artistic diversity of the world, and the new building tries to express that diversity while offering common ground where different cultures meet.

Rather than splitting the collections across separate buildings, it became clear that it would be more meaningful to bring everything under one roof, in one interrelated but varied architectural setting. Classically proportioned galleries with fixed walls and overhead light suit the paintings, sculpture and furniture of the American collections, and much of the first floor is open without a ticket.

A second strategy concerns the large roof, which expresses the collective gesture of people gathering. It is conceived as a filigree structure that casts intricate patterns of light and shadow on the ground. The building is clad in perforated and embossed copper, and a twisting tower rises above the park.