Morphosis unveils flowing Orange County Museum of Art
Explore the curved shapes and expressive interiors of the Orange County Museum of Art by Morphosis, now open in California
All flowing shapes and gleaming surfaces, the new Orange County Museum of Art by Morphosis is opening its doors this weekend. The cultural destination's fresh home, located on the campus of Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, represents a new era for the institution as well as marking a key anniversary for it.
‘I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate our 60th anniversary than by inaugurating this magnificent new building with an around-the-clock open house for everyone, including the many new members we welcome into our OCMA family,' said Craig Wells, president of OCMA’s board of trustees.
The structure was designed by the iconic Culver City-based architecture studio, led by founder and design director Thom Mayne, who oversaw the project together with partner-in-charge Brandon Welling. Employing the practice's signature expressive lines and free-form shapes, the Orange County Museum of Art is certainly impressive. Its sweeping volumes are clad in a skin of high-performance white terracotta tiles and glazed sections, which bring plenty of natural light inside. Exposed concrete, metal panels and careful landscaping complete the building's textures.
Inside, flexible exhibition galleries meet workspace, dedicated space for educational programming, and public areas that are accessible to all. A café helps create an additional focal point for public activity. At the same time, the composition's external areas (such as the garden and an expansive roof terrace) and large openings (windows, glazed walls and dramatic skylights) ensure there's a strong relationship between indoor and outdoor space, as feels fitting in the warm California climate.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on 7 October 2022, with the building opening to the public on 8 October, followed by a 24-hour party celebration, including a range of activities for visitors, such as performances, film screenings, art-making workshops, and more.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Cathay Pacific’s new business class Aria Suites take flight
Cathay Pacific raises the bar for business-class travel with the launch of the much-anticipated Aria Suites
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Volvo’s ultra-efficient EX30 compact EV gets its first real competition, the new Smart #3
We experience the highly rated Volvo EX30 and Smart’s most recent foray into pure electric cars, the #3. Which is the best executed small SUV?
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
New York exhibition celebrates Maria Pergay, the ‘pioneer’ of metal furniture
‘Precious Strength: Maria Pergay Across the Decades’ is on show at New York gallery Demisch Danant (until 30 November)
By Francesca Perry Published
-
First look: step inside 144 Vanderbilt, Tankhouse and SO-IL’s new Brooklyn project
The first finished duplex inside Tankhouse and SO-IL’s 144 Vanderbilt in Fort Greene is a hyper-local design gallery curated by Brooklyn studio General Assembly
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Tour Ray's Seagram Building HQ, an ode to art and modernism in New York City
Real estate venture Ray’s Seagram Building HQ in New York is a homage to corporate modernism
By Diana Budds Published
-
Populus by Studio Gang, the ‘first carbon positive hotel in the US’ takes root in Denver
Populus by Studio Gang opens in Denver, offering a hotel with a distinctive, organic façade and strong sustainability credentials
By Siska Lyssens Published
-
This Californian home offers the unexpected through ‘deconstructed’ desert living
Gardens & Villas, a home in La Quinta, California, brings contemporary luxury to its desert setting through a collaboration between architects Andrew McClure and Christopher McLean
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
First look inside 62 Reade Street, a clock factory turned family home
62 Reade Street, a boutique New York residential project by architects ODA, unveils its first apartment interior, styled courtesy of Hovey Design
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Paul Rudolph at The Met: ‘from Christmas lights to megastructures’
‘Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph’ opens at the Met in New York, exploring the modernist master's work through a feast of an exhibition
By Stephanie Murg Published
-
Jewel Box is a Californian project of small scale and big impact
Jewel Box by Red Dot Studio is the reimagining of a Californian 20th-century gem through a creative addition
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Germane Barnes exhibition explores notions of classical architecture and identity
Germane Barnes exhibition 'Columnar Disorder' opens at the Art Institute of Chicago
By Ellie Stathaki Published