Orange County Museum of Art Begins to Take Shape in Costa Mesa

July 27, 2020

Last month, Clark Construction Group celebrated the start of structural steel at the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) project in Costa Mesa, California. Designed by global architecture and design firm Morphosis, Clark is constructing a new 54,000-square-foot facility for OCMA that will allow the Museum to expand on its legacy of community enrichment and presentation of modern and contemporary art from artists rooted in Southern California and the Pacific Rim. 

Rendering of the new Orange County Museum of Art

Defined by an open and engaging urban presence within Orange County’s largest center for arts and culture, the Museum will feature nearly 25,000 square feet of exhibition galleries—approximately 50 percent more than in the former location in Newport Beach. It will also feature an additional 10,000 square feet for education programs, performances, and public gatherings, and will include administrative offices, a gift shop, and a café.

Over the next two months, Clark will set 850 tons of steel on-site to shape this world-class art center which features a 60' tall open atrium, a cantilevered classroom, and large raker beams supporting an exterior grand staircase. Once steel erection is complete, the Clark team will shift its focus to pouring the project’s slab-on-grade foundation.

​ In June, the Clark team set the first steel column on site. ​

The new permanent home for the Museum is projected to open in 2021.

The new OCMA building continues Clark’s reputation of delivering world-class cultural facilities in Southern California. On the heels of the successful delivery of the Legacy International Center in San Diego and the Pacific Visions Wing of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Clark is also currently working with Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and California State University Long Beach to enhance their existing museum facilities.