After a three-year renovation, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art reopens on May 14, and the result looks like a slab of glacial ice floating down Third Street. It’s headed for icon status, and not solely because of the new facade. Craig Dykers, cofounder of Snøhetta, the architecture firm behind the reboot, stresses that this isn’t just a museum for the traditional patron: “We wanted to open the door to people who have little knowledge of modern art,” he says, “and provide refinement and focus for longtime art enthusiasts.” In other words, this is more than an art repository. It’s a beautifully designed experience, a template for other museums—a mix of flamboyance and subtlety, reverence and playfulness, right down to the perfectly seamless tour guide app. Some of the upgrades, exemplified by the shimmering exterior, smack you in the face. Other technological innovations, like the sensors that monitor the living wall, are subtle or hidden. Scroll down to take a sneak peek before the lines start forming.