The Orange County Museum of Art is moving to Costa Mesa, with Thom Mayne heading up plans for the new building.
The internationally known architect chosen to design a new Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa has quite a résumé.

He’sdesigned such bold projects as a “green” San Francisco office buildingwith no air conditioning and elevators that stop on every third floorto save energy and the yet-to-be completed Phare Tower in Paris, amassive skyscraper that aims to rival the Eiffel Tower.

Museumofficials and benefactors, including noted philanthropist HenrySegerstrom, say they are anxious to see what designs award-winningarchitect Thom Mayne will come up with for the new museum, which isslated to move from Newport Beach to Costa Mesa. The project isscheduled to break ground by 2013.

“This is Mayne’s firstmuseum, and he’s very excited about the project,” said Segerstrom,managing partner of South Coast Plaza. “I think everyone is veryexcited to see what he will do with it.”

South Coast Plaza andthe Segerstrom family dedicated the six acres of land in 1998 to expandSouth Coast Repertory Theater, build the Renee and Henry SegerstromConcert Hall and construct a visual arts facility.

The addition of the Orange County Museum of Art to the complex will complete plans for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

The new museum will further secure Costa Mesa’s status as the epicenter of the Orange County art scene, Segerstrom said.

“Theart museum will grow into a major institution with this prospect,” hesaid. “This is a very, very important step for Orange County, SouthernCalifornia and the world of art.”

The museum is moving from itsNewport Beach home near Fashion Island to a 1.64-acre spot just East ofthe new Renee and Henry Segerstrom Hall, which would give the locale atotal of three music performance venues, a two-stage playhouse and anart museum all within short walking distance.

Mayne was selectedafter an international architectural competition. Terrence Dwyer,president of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, is excited aboutthe selection.

“We’re hoping that the new museum will turn the area into an unrivaled center for the arts,” Dwyer said.

Maynehas never designed a building in Orange County, but numerous examplesof his work can be seen in Los Angeles, including the space-age,metallic Caltrans Dist. 7 Headquarters with benches that look likesteel sculptures and the similarly asymmetrical Science Center School.

“He’sabsolutely a word-class architect. I’ve seen some of his designs inbooks, and it should be a spectacular building,” Dwyer said.

Estimatesof how long the building will take to construct, from groundbreaking tocompletion, are about two to three years and one of the big obstacleswill be scheduling the noisier construction tasks so that they don’tinterrupt musical performances, Dwyer said.

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