Introduction
Housing a unique collection of art from around the world, the de Young Museum has been an important feature of San Francisco's cultural landscape for over 100 years. The historic building, located along the picturesque Golden Gate Park concourse, was badly damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Though emergency structural repairs were performed, it became clear that the museum needed a new home. In the late 1990s, the Corporation of Fine Arts Museums launched a private fundraising campaign to finance the construction of a new facility.

After an extensive search, world-renowned Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron were selected. In June 1999, the new design was unveiled, a sweeping low-rise building of steel and glass. Many critics have hailed it as a masterpiece of modern design. The 292,000 square foot museum, surrounded by several sculpture gardens, includes a 160-foot-high viewing tower set on the axis of the city streets. Rutherford & Chekene provided structural, civil and geotechnical services for the museum.

History
The museum was originally constructed by publisher and philanthropist, M.H. de Young, to serve as the centerpiece of the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. After the fair closed, de Young donated the Egyptian revival style building to the city to be used permanently. As museum curators added to the original collection, the de Young outgrew its small quarters. In 1915, M.H. de Young made provisions for the addition of a second building, done in the Spanish-colonial style. This building was replaced by the Herzog & de Meuron structure.

Design Challenges
As explained by the architects, the new de Young “is a place...where diversity meets and intersects, where otherwise hidden kinships between divergent cultural forms become visible and tangible…and foster our awareness of the coexistence and equality of cultures.” The challenge for the R&C design team was to provide engineering solutions that supported the ambitious architectural vision. When the architects wanted to create a large open atrium in the design, our engineers responded by inserting two 110-foot bridges hidden within the walls to seismically strengthen the room without obstructing the space with columns. In addition, the entire building is base-isolated to provide the maximum protection for the collection.

The Team
Structural, Civil & Geotechnical Engineers:
Rutherford & Chekene
Architect: Herzog & de Meuron
Architect of Record: Fong & Chan
Contractor: Swinerton & Walberg
Owner: Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums
Landscape Architect: Walter Hood

Awards & Citations
Rutherford & Chekene was awarded the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California's Excellence in Structural Engineering Award for the design of the museum.

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