Clark Construction on Building LACMA's David Geffen Galleries

The recently opened David Geffen Galleries at LACMA are the result of over a decade of collaborative effort involving the city, county, public, architect, engineering teams, and general contractor Clark Construction. The project faced intense scrutiny ranging from admiration for its meticulous construction to criticism over scale, cost, concrete mass, and engineering complexity in earthquake-prone Los Angeles. Carlos González, group president at Clark Construction, discussed technical challenges including the monolithic concrete structure, extensive post-tensioning system, 56 seismic isolators allowing movement during earthquakes, unpredictable soil conditions near the La Brea Tar Pits, fabrication of solid bronze mullions, and integration of mechanical systems within the double-slab concrete structure. The building serves as a sophisticated case study in negotiating architecture through construction.