The HOK design team certainly like to think so. This is how the winning team envision the revamp of one of the San Francisco’s most treasured historical buildings, the Mint, built in 1874 and survivor of the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire.

It’s now looking at a future as a new  museum and visitor centre for the city.

As you can see, maintaining the character of the original is paramount and the covered courtyard is a clever approach to opening up the inner space to the outside, while showing off the original stonework – much of which will have to rescued from ‘modernisation’ over the years.

Having spent decades pumping out the ‘green’, remaining green will be a key feature of the Mint going forward. The building is a passively ventilated and naturally lit structure that will aim to maintain its openess to the environment after new musuem and visitor facilities have been added.

Interventions act as intermediaries between the exterior environment and internal spaces which require variable degrees of control and comfort.

The largest intervention will be that massive glass canopy roof over the historic courtyard. The will also collect water and fog at its corners to provide natural irrigation for a terraced roof garden. The roof garden will become a new public space also.

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