But its unseen qualities may be as remarkable as its monolithic first impression. Built near the San Andreas fault that crippled the original de Young, principal architects Fong & Chan worked with the aesthetic vision of designers Herzog & de Meuron to achieve a building that could take a seismic beating and still provide visual fireworks, including the tower with its 144-foot (44-meter) airy climb to a panoramic outlook.

Much has been written about the design's interior and exterior, but not so much on its engineering and performance. The striking skin is a quilt of about 7,200 panels manipulated and pierced to suggest light filtering through a native tree canopy. But less visible is an exceptional blend of architecture, engineering, and landscape.   >>>