Instead of being isolated and discrete spaces, the museum’s main galleries are flexible and connected, glimpsed from the ticketing lobby and mezzanine galleries through glass interior walls and keyhole openings. A grand outdoor public stair curves toward the museum’s entry, creating dialogue with the monumental sculpture by Richard Serra at the heart of the arts complex. The high-performance façade of light-colored, undulating bands of glazed terracotta creates a distinctive character for the building, playing off the forms and language of neighboring works of architecture.

The main floor of the museum is dedicated to reconfigurable open-span exhibition space, complemented by mezzanine, black-box, and jewel-box galleries that can accommodate temporary and permanent collection exhibitions spanning a variety of scales and mediums. A spacious roof terrace provides flexible space for events, day-to-day visits, and outdoor dining for the museum restaurant, with mature native trees and large-scale sculpture installations. A sculptural wing hovers over the lobby atrium and creates a prominent location for the educational hall, with all-ages programming for the local community.

The project took specific aim in reducing its water usage and footprint, responding to Orange County’s dry environment. Inside the building are efficient plumbing and kitchen fixtures paired with advanced irrigation systems, which are supplemented through water metering for storm water collection. The property’s exterior repurposes the collected storm water for plants used in the landscaped roof terrace, which are native and adaptive to foster soil health. Vegetated roof surfaces have permeable concrete underneath that allows for water to collect and be reused.