The new Orange County Museum of Art will be Orange County’s largest center for arts and culture

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.

View from Argyros Plaza of OCMA's main entrance 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.

Atrium lobby and above performance space 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.

Ground floor mezzanine and galleries Courtesy Morphosis Architects.

Roof terrace Courtesy Morphosis Architects.

The first visitor center we designed was the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center for the Everglades National Park in 1993. I remember it well for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the ongoing dialogue we had with our retail consultant. He insisted that the gift shop be located on the right as one exited the visitor center because people “always turn right.”

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