For the Hilbert Museum of California Art, we were tasked by Chapman University with undertaking the structural work associated with this highly anticipated expansion. Located on the campus, the project renovates two existing buildings and unites them via a new enclosed courtyard, tripling the museum’s square footage to roughly 38,000 square feet.

We introduced a critical large steel frame structure that joins the two existing buildings and surrounds a new central courtyard. Furthermore, we devised a cantilevered steel truss to showcase the design’s defining feature: a site-specific 16-foot by 40-foot mosaic tile mural by artist and architect Millard Sheets.

The site occupies a conspicuous location, linking the University with historic Old Towne Orange and the neighboring commuter rail station flanking the industrial corridor at the edge of campus. This bustling thoroughfare combined with the existing buildings on site meant we had to consider the numerous building adjacencies and strict regulations throughout the research, design, and construction process.