A giant perforated canopy, wrapping the Manetti Shrem Museum's roof, spreads to California's central valley with dramatic shadows, designed by SO-IL in collaboration with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. The Manetti Shrem Museum opened to the public on November 13, 2016 and the institution becomes the sense of empowerment from being able to cultivate and grow freely—a spirit of optimism, imagination and invention. 

The design of the Manetti Shrem Museum signals that education is at the core of the institution’s vision: as one enters the museum, among the first spaces to be encountered are large, open rooms for classrooms and indoor and outdoor workshops. 

The goal is for UC Davis students across the curriculum, not just those studying art or art history, to utilize the building. Student groups will be able to sign up through the university’s central booking to use a classroom or lounge and a collections room with vitrines and flat files will accommodate classes and seminars. The Manetti Shrem Museum was photographed by acclaimed architectural photographer Iwan Baanand shows the the relationship between inside and outside. The Museum tries to capture the spirit of the California Central Valley with its 'grand canopy'. 

The 50,000 square-foot permeable structure covers both site and building. The distinct shape of this open roof presents a new symbol for the campus. The Canopy extends over the site, blurring its edges, and creating a sensory landscape of activities and scales.

Like the Central Valley, the landscape under the Canopy becomes shaped and activated by changing light and seasons. Its unique form engenders curiosity from a distance, like a lone hill on a skyline.

Interwoven curved and straight sections seamlessly define inside and outside. The result is a portfolio of interconnected interior and exterior spaces, all with distinct spatial qualities and characteristics that trigger diverse activities and create informal opportunities for learning and interaction.

The future art museum is neither isolated nor exclusive, but open and permeable; not a static shrine, but a constantly evolving public event. The museum attracted 2,500 visitors to its first day opening. 

Karl Backus, design principal from Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s San Francisco office, describes the museum’s design as having grown out of an ideas-driven, interdisciplinary collaboration of architects, engineers, fabricators and builders. ''We strove to create a diverse spatial experience that encourages interaction and learning underneath the canopy structure. Given the complexity of programmatic uses, site relationships and construction technologies, the teamwork has been essential and uniquely fruitful.''

All images © Iwan Baan

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