new ribbon

The M.H. de Young Memorial Museum by Herzog & de Meuron is a remarkable revival of a building that no longer exists which celebrates the museum from the outside. The Architects have designed it in such a way that the visitors could enjoy a pleasant, functional Californian climate. A sculpture garden, a terrace beneath a cantilevered roof and a children’s garden creates a link between the building and its surroundings through historic elements from the original de Young Museum specifically its original palm trees.

Herzog and de Meuron have allowed their usual material experimentation vision in this new museum by using copper, wood, stone, stone, and glass to allow the design to become part of the land it occupies. Wood flooring is used to create a welcoming atmosphere and large ribbon windows blurs the inside and outside threshold. They have also used copper to cover the facade so it will fade into its surrounding when it oxidises. A 144 ft tower twists from the ground where it aligns with the grid formed by the neighbourhood streets.