California Rising: 10 Bold New Museums Across the Golden State

Revealing contemporary ideas on exhibition and public space, California’s marvelous museums are as captivating as their collections.

Known for dramatic landscapes and expansive urban centers, the Golden State has become a global trendsetter for cultural and creative expression. With iconic cities from San Francisco to Los Angeles, the state houses some of the world’s most innovative architecture. Showcasing a broad diversity of architectural styles, from mid-century Modern residences to unusual Googie structures, California embodies a restless spirit of experimentation. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the state’s recent museum designs.

Revealing contemporary ideas on exhibition and public space, California’s marvelous museums are as captivating as their collections. Exploring novel spatial organizations and expressive forms, the projects emerge from their contexts as sensitive and monumental landmarks alike. The following collection draws together 10 of these museums across California. Together, they represent bold and distinct ways to understand our connection with the arts.

BAMPFA — Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Berkeley, Calif., United States

DS+R’s BAMPFA project stands as a bridge institution and nexus of critical discourse for both Berkeley and the community. Expanding the existing 1939 Press Building, the Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive was imagined as a “cipher” structure that houses new program while simultaneously slicing into the adjacent building.

LAMOTH by Belzberg Architects, Los Angeles, Calif., United States

Built adjacent to the existing Los Angeles Holocaust Memorial, LAMOTH integrates into the nearby park through a submerged and sculpted form. Emerging from existing pathways and pedestrian flows, the design seamlessly connects to the Pan Pacific Park while providing space for exhibition and reflection.

Petersen Automotive Museum by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Los Angeles, Calif., United States; photos courtesy of A. Zahner Company

Sited along LA’s “Miracle Mile,” KPF’s Petersen Museum transformation centers around an incredible corrugated aluminum rain screen. Built as “ribbons” made out of angel hair stainless steel, the façade helps establish a sense of speed and movement.

SFMOMA Expansion by Snøhetta, San Francisco, Calif., United States

Snøhetta’s new expansion to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art builds off Mario Botta’s original design to provide increased circulation and public space for the Bay area. Doubling the amount of exhibition space, the project also includes outdoor terraces and a sculpture garden that opens up the museum to the city.

Water + Life Museum and Campus by LEHRER ARCHITECTS LA, Hemet, Calif., United States

Designed around the Diamond Valley Lake, the largest man-made water storage lake in North America, the Water + Life Museum explores California’s water infrastructure. Located between two 300-foot-high dams, the museum celebrates the evolutionary and developmental importance of water through an infrastructure-inspired formal language.

California Academy of Sciences by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, San Francisco, Calif., United States

Renzo Piano’s California Academy of Sciences connects in-house scientific research with public experience. With space for education, conservation and exhibition, the institute acts as a functioning demonstration of sustainable design. The project combines a green roof, photo voltaic canopy and energy efficient temperature control to embody the academy’s mission.

The Getty Center by Richard Meier & Partners Architects, Los Angeles, Calif., United States

Overlooking Los Angeles from the Santa Monica Mountains, Richard Meier’s Getty Center was built with multiple buildings across a 110-acre campus. Designed around spatial sequence and museum experience, the Getty integrates into the topography and surrounding landscape through loggias and outdoor gardens.

© Chibi Moku - Architectural Photo Cinema

Exploratorium at Pier 15 by GLS Landscape Architecture, San Francisco, Calif., United States

Built along Pier 15 in San Francisco, GLS’s Exploratorium project was designed as an interactive landscape for the bay area. With spaces for education and discovery, the design includes multiple outdoor areas formed around the waterfront with continuous surfaces.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art Addition by Peter Zumthor, Los Angeles, Calif., United States

Peter Zumthor’s design for LACMA will feature a two-level building that will span Wilshire Boulevard. Sited adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits, the project will include a sinuous glass and concrete slab with “Meander” galleries for reflection. The addition is scheduled to break ground in 2018 and be completed in 2023.

The Broad by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Los Angeles, Calif., United States

DS+R’s Broad Museum is located on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. Designed as a “veil and vault,” the project includes 35,000 square feet of column-free gallery space enclosed between a perforated shell and a sculpted opaque mass for storage and lending activities.

Author: Eric Baldwin

Based in New York City, Eric was trained in both architecture and communications. As Director of Communications at Sasaki, he has a background spanning media, academia, and practice. He's deeply committed to trying as many restaurants as possible in NYC.