Spanning 900 feet across Wilshire Blvd in the heart of Los Angeles, The David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art were featured in The Architect’s Newspaper as the project nears its grand openingnin April.
The ambitious, monolithic design, created by Peter Zumthor in collaboration with SOM, challenges the limits of concrete structure, resulting in a dignified, sophisticated new home for the museum’s encyclopedic collection in a series of nonhierarchical galleries hovering 30 feet above the ground. Built for seismic resilience, the single-level concrete structure rests on 40 seismic base isolators, allowing the building to shift up to 5 feet in any direction during an earthquake. More than 100 distinct concrete pours give the gallery its signature surface, sequenced to accommodate shrinkage and ensure a high-quality finish. Inside, panoramic views of Los Angeles set “the ultimate backdrop for art,” according to The Architect’s Newspaper, while outside, pedestrians can get a preview of the exhibitions on display.
Designed to last more than 100 years, the concrete will gracefully age with the building; as art is hung in new places, patches from past displays will remain. “It’s okay to show your age, and buildings should be the same,” said SOM Senior Associate Principal Carol Ann Ruiz. “The story of the building is something [Zumthor] wanted to showcase.”
Added Structural Partner Eric Long, “One of the things I take away from this project is the power of a good big idea. There’s so much organization, thought, and hard work that is unseen. The building seems simple—it’s just concrete, brass, and glass, right? But what’s behind it is beautifully complex.”
The galleries will open to members and donors on April 19 and to the general public on May 4, 2026.