The new Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) is set to break ground in 2019 on its new 52,000-sf building. The new location will include 25,000 sf of exhibition galleries and 10,000 sf for education programs, performances, and public gatherings. Space for administrative offices, a gift shop, and a café will also be included.
Designed by Morphosis, the building’s main floor will be dedicated to reconfigurable open-span exhibition space. A mezzanine and street-front galleries that can accommodate temporary and permanent collection exhibitions will complement the first floor open-span exhibition space. Above the lobby atrium is a space for performance and education, illuminated by a full-height window overlooking a roof terrace.
Courtesy Morphosis Architects.
The roof terrace is equal in size to 70% of the building’s footprint and serves as an extension of the building’s galleries. Open-air spaces can be configured for installations, a sculpture garden, and outdoor film screenings.
The exterior of the building uses a façade of light-colored, undulating bands of metal paneling, glazed curtain wall, and exposed concrete to complement neighboring buildings. A grand public stair curves toward the entry and links the museum to Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ Argyros Plaza and the adjacent performing arts venues.
Courtesy Morphosis Architects.
“The building is a final puzzle piece for the campus at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, responding to the form of the neighboring buildings and energizing the plaza with a café and engaging public spaces. At the same time, the design also responds to a desire to enhance access to OCMA’s permanent collection through neutral, flexible exhibition spaces that can complement art of all media,” said Thom Mayne, Principal, Morphosis Architects, in a release.
The new OCMA building is slated for completion in 2021.
Courtesy Morphosis Architects.
Courtesy Morphosis Architects.
Related Stories
Museums | Mar 24, 2016
Aquarium of the Pacific unveils whale of a project
Designed by EHDD, the 18,000-sf, whale-shaped Pacific Visions will have gathering spots, galleries, and a theater with a large, curved screen.
Museums | Mar 3, 2016
How museums engage visitors in a digital age
Digital technologies are opening up new dimensions of the museum experience and turning passive audiences into active content generators, as Gensler's Marina Bianchi examines.
Museums | Feb 12, 2016
Construction begins on Foster + Partners’ Norton Museum of Art expansion project
The Florida museum is adding gallery space, an auditorium, great hall, and a 20,000-sf garden.
Architects | Feb 11, 2016
Stantec agrees to acquire VOA Associates
This deal reflects an industry where consolidation is a strategic necessity for more firms.
Museums | Feb 5, 2016
Diller Scofidio + Renfro transforms old Art Deco building into a museum at UC Berkeley
The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, which opened in late January, contains a theater, lab, and galleries. It was once a printing plant.
Museums | Jan 22, 2016
Canadian Canoe Museum selects Heneghan Peng Architects’ design for new location
The single-story structure is designed for sustainability as well as function.
Architects | Jan 15, 2016
Best in Architecture: 18 projects named AIA Institute Honor Award winners
Morphosis' Perot Museum and Studio Gang's WMS Boathouse are among the projects to win AIA's highest honor for architecture.
| Jan 14, 2016
How to succeed with EIFS: exterior insulation and finish systems
This AIA CES Discovery course discusses the six elements of an EIFS wall assembly; common EIFS failures and how to prevent them; and EIFS and sustainability.
Museums | Dec 18, 2015
Santiago Calatrava-designed museum with skeletal roof opens in Rio
The Museu do Amanhã addresses the future of the planet and has an inventive, futuristic design itself.
Museums | Dec 16, 2015
Gluckman Tang-designed museums could stimulate economy in North Adams, Mass.
The goal is to create a “cultural corridor” between North Adams and Williamstown, Mass.
