A dramatic retrofit and expansion at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) has redefined the institution’s role in the city’s civic fabric. The new NHM Commons blends adaptive reuse with bold architecture interventions, including a sweeping, metal-framed glass facade and reimagined entry sequence, to open the museum physically and symbolically to the public. The $75-million project, led by Frederick Fisher and Partners with landscape design by Studio-MLA, demonstrates how retrofit design and expressive metal detailing can modernize program functions while deepening community connections.
Civic transparency through architectural envelope design
The defining architectural gesture of NHM Commons is its transparent facade, a glass curtainwall system supported by a metal frame. Facing Exposition Park, the glass curtainwall not only floods the Judith Perlstein Welcome Center with daylight but reframes the museum’s presence in the public realm. The diagonal bracing, mullions, and full-height spans reflect a design strategy that balances performance considerations with a public-facing architectural expression.
As the design suggests, these envelope decisions are not just aesthetic; they enable passive wayfinding, long sightlines between interior and exterior program areas, and visual access to newly introduced public amenities such as the 400-seat Commons Theater. From plaza to facade, the building now participates in the storytelling it once contained, demonstrating how retrofit architecture can activate civic narratives through metal and glass.
Metal as mediator
Externally, a perforated metal scrim wraps the upper portion of the new facade facing Exposition Park. The panels, installed in a subtle wave pattern, appear to ripple across the building, a nod to natural topographies and an architectural move that unifies new and old. Based on appearance and orientation, this scrim serves different roles, such as visual softening and contextual integration.
These expressive metal elements—curtainwall structure, bracing, and scrim—are not merely supportive components; they actively shape experience and performance. While the metal screen adds texture, depth, and visual dynamism, the steel framing enables openness and structural continuity. Together, they showcase how metal construction plays a central role in defining space and message.
A retrofit with layered intentions
While NHM Commons adds 6,978 m2 (75,000 sf), the expansion is not entirely new construction. As stated in the project materials, the wing comprises “renovated space and new construction.” New programming and exhibition zones were inserted into the existing museum footprint while extending toward Exposition Park. The transformation reflects a broader movement in civic architecture, where retrofits do more than preserve: they ignite, engage, and reveal.
The metal and steel elements embedded in NHM Commons are emblematic of this shift. They do not just hold up walls or provide aesthetic expression; they carry cultural weight and architectural intention. In doing so, they position metal not just as material, but as message: a language of access, longevity, and transformation.