Last week, the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) named the new LACMA David Geffen Galleries as the 2026 Structure of the Year—the highest honor presented at the Structural Engineering Excellence (SEE) Awards.
The recognition comes alongside two regional honors: an Award of Excellence in New Construction from the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) and the overall Project of the Year from the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC).
In museum design, structural systems are usually hidden behind drywall, drop ceilings, and service chases. The engineering team for LACMA’s structure took a different approach: the exposed concrete is the architecture. Designed by Peter Zumthor in collaboration with SOM, the 900-foot-long building bridges 150 feet across Wilshire Boulevard on seven concrete pavilions, completely eliminating conventional interior columns to leave the exhibition floor open.
Achieving that required an unusual degree of structural precision. Rather than running in straight lines, 360 miles of high-strength post-tensioning tendons track the building’s organic perimeter, providing the internal lift needed to support cantilevers reaching up to 80 feet. All mechanical, electrical, and life-safety conduits were cast directly into concrete plenums during the pours, keeping the gallery ceilings clean and uncluttered. To safeguard the permanent collection against major ground motion, 56 massive Triple Friction Pendulum isolators allow the entire 30,000-ton structure to move up to five feet horizontally in an earthquake.
By solving complex foundation issues next to the La Brea Tar Pits and spanning an active transit corridor, the project leaves its raw structure fully visible to shape the gallery space.
