The California Academy of Sciences sits across from the new de Young museum of art, which likewise replaced a building damaged in the 1989 earthquake. Two different types of museums, two different architects (the de Young was designed by Swiss Pritzker Prize winners Herzog and de Meuron)—and although both buildings could be described as big boxes, they represent two different visions of the role of the contemporary architect: problem-solving vs. art-making. Of course, all buildings do both, but Piano seems to be more directly concerned with the former, while Herzog & de Meuron's self-absorbed architecture is a result of the latter. Whether you prefer one or the other may be a matter of taste, but standing on the roof of the Academy looking at the de Young, I was struck by its slightly ominous appearance—and how intrusive the 144-foot canted tower is in Golden Gate Park. The California Academy feels much more at home.