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introduction 1 new museum of contemporary art + de young museum
canvas 2 Like many of the pieces they exhibit, these two art
paint 12 museums have been designed and constructed
with a consideration of the two main elements that
image credits 20 make up their disposition; canvas and paint. For the
purpose of this paper, canvas stands as a metaphor
endnotes 21 for underlying structure and space. Paint stands as
a metaphor for cladding and materia fittings that
have been used in conjunction with the structure to
render a resolute piece of architecture.

new museum of contemporary art

Location: New York City, New York, USA
Architect: Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA
Year of completion: 2007

de young museum
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Architect: Herzog & de Meuron
Year of completion: 2005
canvas
At first glance, the NMCA resembles a stack to as the “floating corner”.6 The shifted 1. structural system;
of mismatched shipping containers lowered boxes allow for perimeter skylights at red members are in
compression, blue
into a dense urban environment.1 Upon setbacks which are filtered by metal grids members are in tension
scrutiny it becomes clear that tremendous and polycarbonate panels beneath the glass 2. section indicating space
consideration went into the design of this and are naturally oriented differently on each usage and differing floor
seemingly arbitrary structural form and the floor.7 heights
engineering behind its realisation, with great
effect. For SANAA’s principles, Seijima and The core of elevators, stairs, and plumbing
Nishizawa, the challenge was to reconcile the is pulled to the north side of the building to
client’s spatial requirements and New York’s allow for column-free exhibition galleries
building code in a dense urban context.2 spanning up to 40 feet, each with a unique
ceiling height and spatial quality.8
By not maximising the buildable envelope,
it was possible to break the mass down
into smaller volumes that relate to the
neighbouring buildings.3 The result was
the iconic ‘stacked-boxes’ form which
architecture critic Hubertus Adam views as “a
reinterpretation of the setback skyscraper,
developed for New York by Hugh Ferriss in the
1920s.”4

The relative shifting between volumes is

made possible by story-deep perimeter
trusses which are the primary components
of the gravity- and lateral-load-resisting
system. Engineer Guy Nordenson explains
that they work by “wrapping forces around
corners.”5

While most of the stacked boxes shift in one

direction relative to the one below, the third
floor slips diagonally and is supported by
using the concrete core and the side truss
walls to anchor the cantilevered street-
facing wall, creating what Nordenson refers 1. 2.

3
 3. gallery space with
overhead skylight
illuminating space with
filtered natural light
4. seventh floor roof
terrace
5. elevations; yellow
arrows indicate skylights
and purple arrows indicate
roof terraces

4.

3. 5.

5
While the NMCA was designed with an
embedded flexibility of exhibition spaces to
house constantly changing collections, as
Herzog & de Meuron reflect, the structural
form of the de Young Museum was primarily
dictated by a desire to “define different
types of exhibition spaces that reflect the
differences in background and evolution
of the works of art” the museum held
permanently.9
Classically proportioned rooms with fixed
walls and overhead lighting are designated
for traditionalist American art while freer,
more openly arranged and primarily artificially
illuminated spaces are designated for objects
from Central and South America, Africa and
Oceania.10
The firm initially tested ideas based on
individual pavilions expressing such
distinctions but this was rejected in favour of
an “assemblage of conjoined linear space” to
reflect the all-inclusive ethos of the museum,
consisting of a “series of parallel bands, 7.
buckled to allow the park’s landscape to fill
the spaces in between”.11 The firm imagined
this configuration as “a kind of organism with
several limbs or extensions, like the fingers of
a hand”.12
Unlike the NMCA, the de Young Museum is
primarily a simple, rigid, orthogonal steel
and concrete box structure which according
to Assistant Editor of the Architectural
Review, Robert Gregory, has “no real
claim to structural innovation”.13 This is to
some degree refuted by its sophisticated
seismic base-isolation system, roof trusses
cantilevered 50 feet over an outdoor terrace
and a 144 foot vertically post-tensioned
tower rotated to form a parallelogram
which aligns with the inflected grid of San
Francisco’s streets.14 In total, the museum’s
structural system comprises 5,122 tons 8.
of structural steel, 2,500 tons of rebar and
1,500 tons of concrete.15 6. ground floor plan
highlighting the three
‘buckled bands’ and the
outdoor spaces that
separate them
7. 19th Century American
art exhibition space; an
example of a classically
proportioned room
8. view from top of stairs
leading down to basement
floor from lobby; note the
curved glazing encasing the
outdoor space that searates
the ‘buckled bands’
6.
7
9. 9. large cantilevered
structure overhead the
outdoor terrace
10. section highlighting
location of cantilevered
structure
11. detailed section of
cantilever structural
system and base isolation
system

10. 11.

9
 13.

12. torsioned educational

tower locanted on the
north-east corner of the
structure
13. series of floor plans
of educational tower read
12. from top left, clockwise

11
paint
As with all good architecture, the visible
materiality of the NMCA is equally as
considered and significant as the structure
it adorns. With regards to its facade, SANAA
have stated that they originally imagined a
“flat seamless material that precisely defined
the...building” but soon realised that “such
a material could not exist in the rough world
of downtown east New York”. The NMCA
is located in the Bowery; a neighbourhood
on the Lower East Side infamous for its
gangs, bums and punks with only recent
developments in gentrification.16
With respect to interior finishes, all galleries
are the same; white gypsum-board walls,
polished-concrete floors and metal-mesh
ceilings. Expansion-joint lines on the floor
were omitted so as to not imply a certain
placement for the art, resulting in crack
lines that create a random imperfection
appropriate to the museum.20
14.

The duo eventually settled on an expanded

metal mesh, a ubiquitous material, as
it “allowed for a wider variety of visual
rendering and depth” and was “very raw and
tough - just like the Bowery”.17 The facade
consists of anodised aluminium, clipped 15.
in overlapping sheets to an envelope of
extruded aluminium panels.18

Its aesthetic is dependent on both

environmental conditions and one’s
proximity to the building. Architecture writer
Joan Ockman notes that it “gives the building
a raw, industrial texture from close up” while
“creating chiaroscuro and moire patterns
that render the contours of the stacked-up
volumes unfocused and dreamy” from afar.19

14. view through

aluminium mesh cladding of
surrounding buildings
15.site plan highlighting
the museum’s dense urban
context
16. detailed section of
aluminium facade system
16.

13
 18.

17. museum appearing as

a mirage from afar due to
aluminium mesh facade
18. close-up view of
aluminium mesh facade

17.

15
In a remarkably similar way to the NMCA,
metal cladding was designed for the de Young
Museum with the intent of adding depth
and texture as well as fostering a cohesive
relationship with the surrounding Golden Gate
Park. Ironically, an early option considered
was a copper coiling mesh, although this was
abandoned in favour of heavy gauge copper
panels.21 The copper panels are perforated
and indented with varying diameters and
depths to simulate dappled light filtering
through a canopy of trees, creating an
abstract pattern that complements the
building’s parkland setting.22
To create the perforation design for the
facade, Herzog & de Meuron superimposed
abstracted digitised photographs of tree
canopies onto each elevation of the museum
and its four-sided tower. Facade bump and
perforation patterns were then derived
from the digital images. The 7,600 unique
exterior panels contain approximately 1.5
million bumps and more than 1.7 million
perforations.23
Over the course of seven to ten years, salt- 20.
laden winds from the nearby Pacific Ocean are
expected to oxidise the copper and allow it to
take on a verdigris patina that will harmonise
with the surrounding vegetation.24
With respect to interior finishes, the museum
consists of hardwood floors and other timber
finishes that create a warm atmosphere
which contrasts the industrial style and
atmosphere of the NMCA.
19. facade concept
involving digitalisation of
images; from left to right;
original image, invert
grayscale, invert grayscale
contrast, greyscale
pixelate 20, pixelate 20,
pixelate 20
20. tower perforations and
bumps detail enlarged
21. north elevation
(top) and west elevation
of tower with mapped
perforations and bumps 21.
19.
17
 22. projected natural
light patterns created by
canopy-like perforations
23. closer view of depth
and diameter varying
perforations and bumps
24. copper cladding
showing signs of early
oxidisation
22.

23. 24.

19
 image credits endnotes
1. Clifford A. Pearson, “At New York’s smart New Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo-based 1. Joan Ockman, “The New Museum,” Casabella 763 (2008): 83.
SANAA creates an unambiguous icon for an area in transition,” Architectural Record 3 (2008): 2. Hubertus Adam, “Stacked Boxes of Art - SANAA’s New Museum in New York,” Detail 3 (2008):
136. 120.
2. “New Museum of Contemporary Art”, Open Buildings, accessed May 20, 2013, http:// 3. Florian Idenburg, “Meraviglioso e ruvido: il New Museum = Beautiful rough: the New Museum,”
openbuildings.com/buildings/new-museum-of-contemporary-art-profile-38626 Domus 909 (2007): 18.
3. Pearson, “At New York’s smart New Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo-based 4. Adam, “Stacked Boxes of Art - SANAA’s New Museum in New York,” 120.
SANAA creates an unambiguous icon for an area in transition,” 137. 5. Clifford A. Pearson, “At New York’s smart New Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo-based
4. Pearson, “At New York’s smart New Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo-based SANAA creates SANAA creates an unambiguous icon for an area in transition,” Architectural Record 3 (2008):
an unambiguous icon for an area in transition,” 139. 136.
5. Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, “Herzog & de Meuron: de Young Museum,” GA document 6. Ibid., 136.
89 (2005): 305. 7. Michael Webb, “Boxing clever,” Architectural Review 1334 (2008): 58.
6. Sally B. Woodbridge, “Up Periscope (Intersections),” Architecture 12 (2005): 63. 8. Pearson, “At New York’s smart New Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo-based SANAA
7. Erwin J.S. Viray, “Herzog & de Meuron 2002-2006,” A&U: Architecture and Urbanism 8 (2006): creates an unambiguous icon for an area in transition,” 136.
232. 9. Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, “Herzog & de Meuron: de Young Museum,” GA document
8. Herzog and de Meuron, “Herzog & de Meuron: de Young Museum,” 80. 89 (2005): 62.
9. “De Young Museum”, WikiArquitectura, accessed 20 May, 2013, http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/ 10. Ibid., 62.
index.php/De_Young_Museum 11. Rob Gregory, “Full metal jacket: the de Young Museum may appear tough and impenetrable,
10. “de Young Museum Information”, Caitlin Ranson, accessed 20 May, 2013, http://www.cusa-dds. but in reality exploring its interiors is a delight; just like a wall in the park,” Architectural Review
net/ARCH842SP2010/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/de-Young-Chosen-Section.pdf 1304 (2005): 48.
11. Viray, “Herzog & de Meuron 2002-2006,” 230. 12. Herzog and de Meuron, “Herzog & de Meuron: de Young Museum,” 62.
12. Christine Killory, Detail in Process (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2007), 105. 13. Gregory, “Full metal jacket: the de Young Museum may appear tough and impenetrable, but in
13. Ibid., 105. reality exploring its interiors is a delight; just like a wall in the park,” 48.
14. “New Museum of Contemporary Art - View through Facade,” Wikimedia Commons, accessed 20 14. Christine Killory, Detail in Process (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2007), 100.
May, 2013, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Museum_of_Contemporary_Art_-_ 15. “Architecture and Grounds”, de Young Museum, accessed May 20, 2013, http://deyoung.
View_through_Facade_-_by_JessyeAnne.jpg famsf.org/about/architecture-and-grounds.
15. “New Museum of Contemporary Art”, Arcelor Mittal, accessed 21 May, 2013, http://www. 16. Idenburg, “Meraviglioso e ruvido: il New Museum = Beautiful rough: the New Museum,” 18.
constructalia.com/english/case_studies/united_states/new_museum_of_contemporary_art 17. Ibid., 20.
16. Joan Ockman, “The New Museum,” Casabella 763 (2008): 81. 18. Ockman, “The New Museum,” 83.
17. Florian Idenburg, “Meraviglioso e ruvido: il New Museum = Beautiful rough: the New Museum,” 19. Ibid., 83.
Domus 909 (2007): 15. 20. Pearson, “At New York’s smart New Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo-based SANAA
18. “New Museum of Contemporary Art - Facade “, Wikimedia Commons, accessed 19 May, 2013, creates an unambiguous icon for an area in transition,” 134.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Museum_of_Contemporary_Art_-_Facade_-_ 21. Ascan Mergenthaler, “The de Young Museum”, A+U 1304 (2005): 38.
by_flyoverstate.jpg 22. Killory, Detail in Process, 100.
19. Killory, Detail in Process, 107. 23. Ibid., 100.
20. Ibid., 107. 24. Ibid., 100.
21. Ibid., 107.
22. “De Young Museum”, WikiArquitectura, accessed 20 May, 2013, http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/
index.php/De_Young_Museum
23. “De Young Museum - Herzog & de Meuron”, Liao Yusheng, accessed 20 May, 2013, http://figure-
ground.com/de_young/0018/
24. “Laser-Cut Panels”, Freshtilt, accessed 20 May, 2013, http://www.freshtilt.com/laser-cut-
panels/

21