Post Modern Attributes of the de Young Museum:
Post Modern attributes of the de young museum:
History:
The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 damaged the old de Young museum building located in Golden Gate Park and uncovered severe seismic flaws in the building and hence a comprehensive plan to rebuild the building in stages was overtaken to make the de Young museum up to date. In January 1999 the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron were chosen to rebuild the De young museum, due to their willingness to engage in an extended process of architectural design and also because their prior work demonstrated a drive to explore new building solutions for each client. Each of Herzog & de Meuron’s prior buildings were known for their strikingly different façade treatments and the use of uncommon materials, textures and patterns. “The museum wanted an architectural statement that would be unique to its vision, its collections, and its site in the Golden Gate Park”. (Deborah Frieden, De Young project Director)
Their initial concept for the new museum’s structure consisted of three parallel bars that extended into the lush landscape. Their design was an elegant, restrained and aesthetically cautious idea for the new building. In context of the park itself, their design dissolved the boundaries between the inside and the outside of the landscape. The monolithic roof with its horizontal form was proposed in order to unify the buildings interior, at the same time anchoring it firmly into the expanses of the Golden Gate Park. The cladding material proposed for the de Young’s exterior façade was copper, a natural material that would turn green over time and blend in with the surroundings. The architects design also had a tower which was asymmetrical and twisting from where one could view the city and the park. A decision was made to retain certain features of the old de young Museum - the sphinxes, the pool of enchantment, the original tress and to incorporate them into the new design. Therefore a sense of nostalgia does exist
History:
The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 damaged the old de Young museum building located in Golden Gate Park and uncovered severe seismic flaws in the building and hence a comprehensive plan to rebuild the building in stages was overtaken to make the de Young museum up to date. In January 1999 the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron were chosen to rebuild the De young museum, due to their willingness to engage in an extended process of architectural design and also because their prior work demonstrated a drive to explore new building solutions for each client. Each of Herzog & de Meuron’s prior buildings were known for their strikingly different façade treatments and the use of uncommon materials, textures and patterns. “The museum wanted an architectural statement that would be unique to its vision, its collections, and its site in the Golden Gate Park”. (Deborah Frieden, De Young project Director)
Their initial concept for the new museum’s structure consisted of three parallel bars that extended into the lush landscape. Their design was an elegant, restrained and aesthetically cautious idea for the new building. In context of the park itself, their design dissolved the boundaries between the inside and the outside of the landscape. The monolithic roof with its horizontal form was proposed in order to unify the buildings interior, at the same time anchoring it firmly into the expanses of the Golden Gate Park. The cladding material proposed for the de Young’s exterior façade was copper, a natural material that would turn green over time and blend in with the surroundings. The architects design also had a tower which was asymmetrical and twisting from where one could view the city and the park. A decision was made to retain certain features of the old de young Museum - the sphinxes, the pool of enchantment, the original tress and to incorporate them into the new design. Therefore a sense of nostalgia does exist
References: 1) The de Young in the 21st century: a museum by Herzog & de Meuron, Ketcham, D., 2005.