The new form of the LACMA museum in Los Angeles by Peter Zumthor

LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) was founded in the 1960s. With over 100,000 works of art and a million visitors a year, it is one of the largest museums on the West Coast of the USA. The first phase of the museum's expansion took place in the 1980s according to a design by the New York firm Hardy Holzmann Pfeiffer. The second phase was completed six years ago by Italian architect Renzo Piano, who added the Resnick Pavilion to the museum complex, featuring an exhibition area of over 4,000 m².
Three years ago, Swiss architect Peter Zumthor presented a design that demolishes the historic structure from the 1960s and replaces it with a low, undulating ribbon floating above the surrounding landscape and supported only at a few points. The black, indeterminate shape has already earned the nickname "oil stain." According to Zumthor, however, it best reflects the image of Los Angeles and the local lifestyle. Although the museum occupies the entire site, it keeps the ground level as accessible as possible to the public. Beneath the museum will be a pleasant shade with trees and a water feature, creating a sought-after oasis in the hot climate.
Recently, a revamped version of Zumthor's design was presented to the public, in which the "oil stain" has changed shape, bridged Wilshire Boulevard, and eight skylights emerged from it. The number of main entrances was also reduced from seven to two, internal operations were clarified, and the arrangement of exhibition rooms was improved. In recent times, museum director Michael Jovanovic has succeeded in attracting a number of generous donors to successfully realize Zumthor’s project.

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