The divisive new building under construction for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art might be a bit different from what was publicized when it was approved a few years ago.
Earlier this month, architect Peter Zumthor told the New York Times that construction issues with the project in Mid-Wilshire forced some alterations to his design.
One of the larger issues mentioned in the piece relates to the challenges of building on a site adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits.
“They had to double [the foundation] in some areas, because this was so soft, the tar in the earth,” Zumthor said.
LACMA Director Michael Govan told the Times the foundation and other issues have increased the price of the project from about $650 million to $715 million, a 10% increase.
With more money going toward the foundation, cuts had to be made, meaning the Wilshire Boulevard-spanning David Geffen Galleries structure “has been simplified and stripped down,” as story author and architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne described it.
“There have been tough moments, when we had to reduce, reduce, reduce,” Zumthor said.
Those complications have also resulted in delays, the Times reports, and with construction expecting to be completed by the end of next year, visitors might not see the completed project until 2026.
LACMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.