The de Young Museum in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of KME.

If you’ve never been to the de Young Museum in San Francisco, definitely check it out. There are some great art and historical exhibits, but it is the construction of the building itself that is the most impressive.

The original de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park was damaged from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and in 2000 officials decided to close the museum to give it a new look and make it seismically sound.

The new museum, which opened in October 2005, is a three-story, 293,000-square-foot building covered in copper cladding. The museum’s perforated copper façade covers almost the entire structure. According to the museum, these perforated panels are meant to mimic the light that filters through a canopy of threes. This is very fitting since the de Young Museum is surrounded by trees and wildlife in Golden Gate Park.

As time goes on, the panels will turn to a green patina, which museum officials said will blend with the park environment. No matter how many times I’ve been to the park, I’m still impressed by the look and craftsmanship of the building. So why do I bring this up? Probably because I’m thinking about our upcoming November issue.

The November issue of Snips is the architectural sheet metal issue and we’d love to find some projects out there that are as unique and impressive as the de Young. What kind of sheet metal masterpieces have you seen, either in your neighborhood or during your travels? Maybe you worked on some of these buildings and would like to share your story. Let me know and perhaps we can feature the project in our upcoming issue. You can e-mail me at siegelj@bnpmedia.com.