The bold design of the new flagship building for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) showcases advanced engineering techniques that push the envelope for museum design.
The David Geffen Galleries building was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor. It features a 52,000-square-foot glass and brass façade delivered by seele and custom-built to meet seismic requirements. Its elevated concrete structure is supported by seven sculptural concrete pavilions and floats above Wilshire Boulevard.
According to Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the project’s architect of record and structural engineer, the building’s gallery level is wrapped in an expansive mullion-and-transom façade that frames expansive views of Los Angeles. The façade comprises a steel substructure and insulating glass units, some of which are more than 26 feet high, per seele officials, who note that because of the building’s organic floor plan, straight and curved glass elements were used.
The building’s glass features a low-E coating to protect the museum’s artwork from ultraviolet radiation. Officials note that a standout detail is the cladding of the load-bearing façade components with extruded brass profiles, which are up to around 0.6 inches thick and, matching the dimensions of the glass units, up to around 28 feet long.