I will definately have a look at the UN project you mentioned. It’s that short cylindrical structure right? Or all curvilinear in some way.

And yes, I do agree with most of your criticisms of the de Young. I hope I didn’t convey the idea that the de Young blows me away. I just think the winner of this competition is a total knock off of the same form/massing (especially the tower part), perf metal cladding, and cantilevering steel frame. Both are lukewarm to me.

I agree with your point but i think you should have compared the de Young with the Mercedes in Stuttgart to keep the arguments upon 21st century museums, since this seems to be one of the points in your arguments. If you compare them (H&dM and UNStudio) seems to me that the second one has much more of the qualities you have acclaimed (“more freedom of movement and intersections of space”). Also does the de Young achieve that “grandest and biggest space in the building; or something small and intimate like a Tempietto structure or a sacred room”. If it does, please tell me where, because then “i missed something there”.
Look, i find the de Young a nice experiment, and it is nice to get to the top of the tower and get the sights of the city and the park. But honestly the exhibition spaces aren’t that rich (do you agree?) Even those two gardens (ferns and eucaliptus) and the dry patio seem tiny … Again it is a nice experiment but in such a place (GG Park is an amazing place) i think they could have done it better.

Back to this one, i didn’t mean simplicity relating to sublime qualities which are in fact some of the hardest things to achieve in architecture. I meant as a simple (but nice and competent) huge space infilled with natural but controllable light and where the possibilities of exhibitions are many. And this is a quality that the de Young lacks (ok, different purposes art, science, but it lacks anyway).

i would have thought the structure in the first is interesting- very wes jones

and the environmental diagram in the second is where its at

both are really seductive

:P

http://www.thegogglesdonothing.com/photos/goldengatepark/de_young_skin.html

Oops.

Gug is a good precident for a musuem, but i don’t how when you get to the top there is nothing except an elevator door. And you just stand there going “did i miss something?”. Processions through spaces are most architectural when it ends with the grandest and biggest space in the building; or something small and intimate like a Tempietto structure or a sacred room.

One last thing, I don’t see any “simplicity” in the winning design. It is the hardest characteristic to achieve in architecture. Even if one designs the most minimal building possible, it does not necessarily make it “simple”.